GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions has been sentenced to just over six years in prison for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Ty Garbin apologized and was sentenced Wednesday. Garbin admitted his role in the alleged scheme weeks after being arrested last fall. He is among six men charged in federal court but the only one who has pleaded guilty.
Garbin says they trained at his property near Luther, Michigan, constructing a "shoot house" to resemble Whitmer's vacation home and "assaulting it with firearms." The government noted Garbin's "exceptional" cooperation and asked the judge to give him credit for helping investigators reinforce their case against his co-defendants. He's likely to testify at any trial.
Garbin will be under three years of supervision after his release, and is ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and $2,500 fine. As part of Garbin's plea deal, the government agreed not to bring any further charges related to this case against him.
Judge Robert J. Jonker added that as a condition of Garbin's probation, his social media and internet activity will be monitored.
