Barry Croft, the Bear resident charged in connection with a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, received a pardon from Gov. John Carney last year.
Carney followed the recommendation of the state Board of Pardons. Croft, 44, had been convicted of charges that included possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, burglary, and theft.
Carney spokesman Jonathan Starkey issued the following statement:
Croft was the lone Delaware resident charged in connection with the plot, with the other five men residing in Michigan. State charges have also been filed in Michigan against several individuals.
Charging documents in U.S. District Court in Michigan, stated that Croft and the other suspects had been working since spring to kidnap the governor with the intent of trying her for treason over the constitutionality of executive orders issued during the coronavirus pandemic.
The female governor has been criticized more harshly than her male peers who undertook. similar actions, with armed demonstrators rallying and even entering the state capitol in Lansing.
It remains unclear as to how Croft became associated with the alleged plot. NBC News reported that Croft was seen wearing the insignia of the Three Percenters, an antigovernment group focusing on gun ownership. The group was formed after the election of President Barack Obama, but claims to have no racial bias.
The FBI worked undercover to monitor and recruited a militia member to deal with the plot that according to court documents included testing explosives and possibly transporting the governor to Wisconsin for trial.
Delaware State Police also participated in the investigation.
