Intruder Attempted to Breach Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s Summer Home, Officials Say

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the media after signing the final piece of a $76 billion state budget into law in Detroit on July 20, 2022. Carlos Osorio/AP Photo

An intruder attempted to breach Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s summer residence on Mackinac Island, Michigan in August before police apprehended the suspect, her office said on Oct. 18.

Ms. Whitmer’s Chief of Staff JoAnne Huls told The Hill that the unnamed individual had attempted to scale a cliff situated in close proximity to the governor’s summer home on Aug. 26.

The individual was swiftly apprehended by the governor’s security detail but was not arrested, her office said. It was not clear if Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, was at her summer home when the incident took place.

“We received a report of an individual attempting to breach the governor’s property through a restricted area,” said Ms. Huls in a statement to the publication.

“This individual’s actions are taken extremely seriously given the recent plot to kidnap and kill her and ongoing threats to governors in other states,” the statement continued. “The governor is grateful for the Michigan State Police’s vigilance and quick response during the incident, and we are in touch with the proper authorities as the investigation happens. Any acts or threats of violence or intimidation against elected officials have no place in Michigan or this country.”

A total of 14 men were accused of plotting to kidnap Ms. Whitmer from her holiday home in 2020. Nine of the men were later convicted or pleaded guilty, and two others were previously acquitted. In September, a jury acquitted the last three men to stand trial in the case.

Police Monitoring Situation

The plot to kidnap the Democratic governor allegedly began after she came under fire over her highly restrictive measures, including lockdowns, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to prosecutors.

It was uncovered when federal and state law enforcement used undercover informants and agents to derail the kidnapping scheme, leading to the arrest of multiple suspects just a month before the 2020 presidential election.

Some of the defendants later alleged the use of undercover informants and agents amounted to entrapment although those claims were subsequently dismissed by the court.

Ms. Whitmer was not physically harmed during the attempted kidnap plot.

It is not clear if the latest incident is connected to the previous kidnapping plot against the governor.

In a separate statement to ABC News on Wednesday, Michigan State Police confirmed that an individual was detained in August near Ms. Whitmer’s summer residence and that law enforcement officials are monitoring the situation.

Man Charged With Bringing Gun to Wisconsin

“The Michigan State Police can confirm that an individual was detained and questioned in a restricted area of the Mackinac Island resident property,” said Col. James F. Grady, director of the Michigan State Police. “Our troopers take all threats and incidents very seriously, including this one. We are monitoring this situation to understand the scope of the individual’s intentions and connections to any known previous or ongoing threats against all government officials.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Michigan State Police for further comment.

Ms. Whitmer’s office announced the attempted breach of her property on the same day that police said they had again arrested a man who had brought guns to the Wisconsin state Capitol and demanded to see Gov. Tony Evers.

Joshua Pleasnick, 43, of Madison, was arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of a concealed carry violation dating back to Oct. 4 before being released from jail on Wednesday afternoon after prosecutors declined to level any additional charges against him.

Mr. Pleasnick is already facing a misdemeanor count of openly carrying a firearm in a public building after entering the Badger State’s Capitol in Madison on Oct. 4 with a handgun and asking to see the governor, who wasn’t in the building at the time.

Police say Mr. Pleasnick was taken into custody but, upon posting bail, returned to the Capitol that same night with an AK-style semi-automatic rifle and a police baton in his backpack and again asked to see Mr. Evers.

He was again apprehended and hospitalized.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.