GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man from Grand Rapids faces charges of publicly posting the address of who he believes is the officer involved in a deadly shooting earlier this month, but investigators say that personal information was for a man living in the Upper Peninsula.
The Kent County Prosecutor's Office charged Michael Buxton with unlawful posting of a message and using a computer to commit a crime. Buxton allegedly posted on Facebook the name and address of the officer who he believed shot Da'Quan Johnson on February 18. The post also identified the man's wife and other relatives by name, plus the addresses of schools where his children attended, according to court documents.
However, investigators determined Buxton misidentified the officer as a man from the U.P.
FOX 17 is not identifying the man named in the post.
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While in court, the judge told Buxton he can't contact the man. Buxton replied, "I don't even know who that is."
Buxton's alleged post even mentioned that the supposed officer lived in the U.P.
"This is the dirty racist police officer," the post read, per court records. "who drive 5hrs everyday from... the UP to come patrol the southeast side of Grand Rapids a predominately all black neighborhood to kill us."
The man named in the post does not work for the Grand Rapids Police Department, FOX 17 learned on Thursday.
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The U.P. man started receiving threats over social media, including a wanted poster that stated "by any means necessary," according to court documents. The man, who police said had no previous connection to Buxton, removed his family from their home for their safety.
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Buxton was set to be arraigned Thursday morning. If convicted on both felony charges, he could be sentenced to up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
According to court records, Buxton was ordered to pay a $1,000 bond and is now out on his own "personal recognizance."
What is doxxing and what are the legal consequences in Michigan?
Doxxing — the act of publicly sharing someone's private information — can carry serious legal consequences in Michigan, including felony charges and potential prison time.
Sarissa Montague, a criminal defense lawyer at Markou, Montague, Levine Defense in Kalamazoo, explained the law and its implications.
"There could be a lot of bad things that can happen to the person whose information is now out in the public," Montague said.
While some have questioned whether sharing publicly available information can be considered a crime, Montague said Michigan law focuses on both the implications of sharing that information and the intent behind it. The specific charge used to prosecute doxxing in Michigan can vary. Generally, Montague says for someone to be charged, the person knows, or has reason to know, that posting the message could cause two or more separate, non-continuous acts of unconsented contact.
"Posting the message is intended to cause conduct that would make the victim feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed or molested," she explained. "It's not just posting of the information, it's why did you post the information."
