Hillsdale Man Charged in Ridiculous Political Prosecution

Joseph Hendee is a local resident and government watchdog in Hillsdale, MI. His commitment to government transparency has resulted in a ridiculous prosecution in blatant efforts to silence him: Mr. Hendee was charged with a felony on a rarely used Michigan statute for Facebook posts he made regarding local elections.

In The Hillsdale Daily News, his attorney, Daren A. Wiseley, said:

The criminal case is “the most ridiculous criminal prosecution I have ever seen.”

He continued, “The idea that Mr. Hendee’s Facebook activity somehow rose to the level of criminal is laughably absurd. He has not harassed anyone and unequivocally committed no criminal wrongdoing.”

Wiseley added that political speech is protected under the First Amendment. 

“What is apparent is that Mr. Hendee is being charged in a blatant attempt to silence his opinions, disregarding the rule of law — an utter abomination to the Bill of Rights,” Wiseley stated. “The fact that Mr. Hendee is facing a felony charge for sharing these types of political views online would have Joseph Stalin blushing.”

Mr. Hendee has refused to backdown at these threats from government actors hoping to smash him.