BY CHRIS RANDOLPH | COURTHOUSE NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY (CN) – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the blackmail conviction of a man who sent a threatening email to a state senator, citing the man\’s right to free speech in a political arena.
In March 2013, self-proclaimed Sooner Tea Party member Albert Gerhart sent an e-mail to State Senator Cliff Branan threatening to uncover allegedly unsavory information about the senator\’s past, as well as that of his family, if Branan didn\’t ensure that an energy bill was heard before the state senate.
Branan is chairman of the state senate\’s energy committee.
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