A Dinwiddie County man was arrested earlier today for making a death threat against Delegate Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie).
Michael Strawmeyer was arrested at 2:15 PM after responding to a text from the Kim Taylor campaign concerning the upcoming November elections. He responded to the text, “I plan on killing Kim Taylor since I received this shit, you are ruining this country”.
The Kim Taylor campaign then proceeded to call Capitol Police and the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s office. Officers from the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department then arrived at the residence where Strawmeyer lives to make the arrest.
Strawmeyer has a criminal record, including two DUIs within the last five years.
Delegate Kim Taylor is in a competitive race this year for District 82 in the Virginia House of Delegates. In 2023, she won re-election by 78 votes (0.3%) in the narrowest race in the House of Delegates that year.
The Taylor campaign put out the following statement: “Earlier today, Delegate Kim Taylor received a politically motivated death threat by text message to her campaign. Our campaign takes every threat seriously and this was no exception. Thanks to the swift response of the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement partners, the individual responsible is already in custody.
Delegate Taylor is doing safe and doing well. She is grateful for the decisive action of law enforcement and remains focused on serving her constituents. No threat will district her from the work she was elected to do.”
Taylor’s opponent, Kimbery Pope Adams, tweeted “Threats and violence have no place in our politics and our communities. I have personally reached out to Delegate Taylor, and I’m grateful she and her family are safe and that the suspect is in custody thanks to the swift work of the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department. We’re stronger when we stand together against hate and fear.”