Editor’s Note: We have left typos and grammatical errors in the suspect’s statements to be transparent about his accused statements.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Michigan man arrested last month for making threats against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, President Joe Biden and members of the LGBTQ+ community has been indicted on two felony gun charges.
A grand jury approved the indictment last week against 30-year-old Randall Berka II. He faces one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an unregistered firearm. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Berka, from Sebewaing, was arrested by federal agents on March 9, two days after Google filed a tip citing several concerning comments on a YouTube channel.
According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, Berka made more than a dozen threatening posts between February 18 and March 7, including statements like, “trans freaks and gays lgbt freaks thery all need tot die and be genocided,” “im going to kill these democrats biden deserves to die” and “we have to kill the politicians theres nothing wrong with righteous violence and death.”
A criminal history check found that Berka was involuntarily committed for mental health treatment in 2012 and found to be legally incapacitated. His father, Randall Berka Sr., was named his legal guardian in 2013. Database checks confirmed that Berka Sr. had registered firearms inside their shared home.
When questioned by agents, Berka’s mother, Michelle, admitted that she had purchased four firearms for her son within the last year: three long guns and one handgun. She also confirmed that he has the ammo needed for the guns and body armor.
His mother told agents that she is “scared” of him and does not believe his mental health treatment is working.
Berka’s trial is scheduled to start August 1.