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Man accused of threatening Raleigh police chief deemed competent for trial

A California man charged with emailing threats to Raleigh's police chief is competent to stand trial, a federal magistrate ruled Thursday.

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Jesse Kuhl, Raleigh police chief threats
RALEIGH, N.C. — A California man charged with emailing threats to Raleigh's police chief is competent to stand trial, a federal magistrate ruled Thursday.

Jesse Lee Kuhl faces federal charges of transmission of threatening communications and using an electronic communication service to harass or intimidate another person.

Authorities say Kuhl sent Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown at least 13 emails between Oct. 10 and Jan. 13 that included threats and racially charged language. Deck-Brown is black, while Kuhl is white.

Kuhl says he sent only four emails.

Federal investigators say Kuhl admitted to being angry because Deck-Brown allegedly knew about mistreatment he says he suffered while working for the state Division of Waste Management and did nothing to help him.

Agency officials say they have no record of him ever working there.

Last month, he was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial, and doctors reported Thursday that he doesn't suffer from any mental illnesses or defects.

Raleigh police and the FBI declined to comment on the case.

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