Mount Clemens Woman Pleads No Contest to Threatening Mayor Kropp Online — Sentencing Set for August

After prosecutors said she sent threatening Facebook Messenger messages to Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp, Melissa Ann McGuire, 44, of Mount Clemens, pleaded no contest July 8 in 41B District Court to one count of using a computer to commit a crime. McGuire is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 19 before Judge Jacob Femminineo Jr.

The case is the latest example of Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido using computer crime statutes to hold people accountable for digital threats against local officials.

The threatening Facebook Messenger messages were sent to Kropp on Nov. 13, 2025. McGuire sent more than 100 escalating messages that began as complaints about Clinton River contamination and shifted into threats while the mayor was on vacation. Kropp, who is serving as the city's 41st mayor and was elected to her third term in November 2024, said the threats were "pretty significant."

A second charge of malicious use of telecommunication services was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. The charge McGuire pleaded to is a one-year misdemeanor. Kropp was present at the pretrial hearing on July 7 and agreed with the plea deal, which was entered on July 8. McGuire was arraigned on May 27 and released on a $5,000 personal bond.

Under Michigan's computer crime statute, MCL 752.796, using a computer to commit a crime carries penalties that scale based on the underlying crime's maximum imprisonment. For an underlying misdemeanor or felony with a maximum of one year or less, the offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. Michigan's malicious use of telecommunications services statute, MCL 750.540e, covers threatening harm during a conversation or message and carries a maximum of six months' imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. The dismissal of the telecommunications charge in exchange for the computer crime plea keeps McGuire's maximum exposure at one year rather than six months, though both are misdemeanors.

Kropp was recently elected Chair of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments on June 25, 2026, expanding her regional profile at a time when threats against local officials are intensifying. Prosecutor Lucido has charged multiple individuals for online threats against judges and police officers in Macomb County, including charges of False Report or Threat of Terrorism and Using a Computer to Commit a Crime. In those cases, Lucido said, "We will not tolerate threats meant to intimidate police officers or judges. Such conduct endangers public safety and undermines confidence in our courts." Lucido also said, "Threats or acts of intimidation against judges strike at the very heart of our justice system."

Ann Arbor City Council increased police presence at meetings after councilmembers faced serious, ongoing threats.

The Aug. 19 sentencing before Judge Femminineo will signal to residents considering public service—and to those who might harass them—how seriously Michigan courts take the online threats that can discourage everyday people from running for office or speaking up at council meetings.