A Tarrant County man is in custody for allegedly threatening Republican Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez.
Ramirez’s office announced the arrest in a press release Tuesday. Tarrant County court records indicate the suspect is 27-year-old Dylan Lofton.
The suspect repeatedly threatened to kill Ramirez, lacing his threats with racial slurs, according to the press release.
Ramirez told KERA News he has never met Lofton.
"It's disgusting, and those types of threats, and that type of behavior, has no place in civil society," he said.
Lofton’s bond has been set at $100,000, according to court documents.
In February, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court beefed up security at its meetings. The metal detector and bag checks were put in place in response to threats, Ramirez said at the time.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office previously declined to share details about those threats due to security concerns.
KERA News has reached out to the sheriff’s office, Fort Worth police and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office to ask whether any arrests have been made or charges filed for any previous threats against commissioners.
Fort Worth police spokesperson Officer Cynthia Wood said her department is not aware of previous threats made against commissioners within Fort Worth's jurisdiction, though it's possible an offense could have happened elsewhere in Tarrant County.
Ramirez is a veteran Fort Worth police officer. Threats can become real violence quickly, he said.
"If we're able to identify individuals that are making those types of threats, or have a motivation to harm one of our commissioners — or any public servant for that matter —then we're going to take it very seriously, and we're going to pursue prosecution to the furthest extent of the law," he said.
In a statement, Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Crystal Gayden denounced the threats against Ramirez.
“Threats of violence have no place in our community, and we strongly condemn any form of political intimidation. Our thoughts are with Commissioner Ramirez and all those impacted,” she said in a statement.
Lofton previously worked with the Tarrant County Democratic Party but has not been affiliated since 2019, Gayden said.
This story has been updated with comment from Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez.
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