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Man Accused Of Threatening Rep. Fields Gets 30-Day Delay To Make Plea

DENVER (CBS4) - There's been a 30-day delay in the case of a man accused of threatening a state lawmaker.

Both sides agreed to wait a month for Franklin Sain, 42, to enter a plea in the case, but his attorney maintained Sain's innocence Monday morning, saying comments he directed at Rep. Rhonda Fields were protected under free speech.

Sain is a former technology executive at SofTec Solutions in Englewood and has been fired from his job.

Prosecutors say Sain sent Fields emails and voicemails intended to intimidate or harass her about her stance on gun control. Sain, who is white, is charged with attempting to influence a public official and harassment based on ethnicity. Fields, who represents Aurora, is black.

Rhonda Fields
State Rep. Rhonda Fields (credit: CBS)

Police said Sain has acknowledged sending Fields emails and messages laced with profanity and racial slurs. In one message, Sain allegedly told Fields he hoped someone would "Giffords" her, an apparent reference to the 2011 shooting and wounding of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, of Arizona. A police affidavit said Sain apologized for his comments.

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