Threats to Joni Ernst lead to prison

A federal judge has sentenced Joseph Dierks, a 34-year-old man from Waterloo, to six years in prison for sending threatening tweets to U.S. Senator Joni Ernst last August. U.S. District Senior Judge Linda Reade emphasized that the length of the sentence reflects not only the threats made against the senator, a veteran, but also Dierks' escalating violent behavior.

Dierks' pattern of aggression dates back to earlier incidents, including making threatening voicemails to his girlfriend and facing gun violations. After a prior conviction for harassment, he was on probation when he committed the offenses against Ernst. The threats included a tweet stating, "I want you to die. Sorry, not sorry," along with a troubling phone call from jail where he expressed anger towards various groups and made threats against others.

The court heard testimony regarding Dierks' belief that sending the tweets might attract Ernst's attention to obtain a military waiver, as he intended to join the military but faced age-related restrictions. Despite warnings from law enforcement to cease contacting Ernst, he continued to send threatening messages, leading to criminal charges.

Dierks' defense attorney argued that his client did not intend for the tweets to be perceived as threats, a claim that Judge Reade dismissed after reviewing the evidence and trial testimony. Dierks chose not to speak during both the trial and sentencing.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Reade ordered that Dierks will be subject to electronic monitoring upon release, due to his history of online threats. He will also serve three years of supervised release, and this federal sentence is to be served consecutively with any penalties related to his pending probation violation in Black Hawk County.