GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — UPDATE: One of the suspects accused in the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, 25-year-old Ty Garbin of Livingston County, has entered a guilty plea as of Wednesday.
That makes Garbin the first of 14 suspects charged in the plot to do so. Under the agreement terms, Garbin will now fully cooperate with law enforcement, and the state will not file any additional charges against him.
The state was considering adding charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and possession of unregistered weapons and destructive devices, which his attorney said was a factor in changing his plea.
He may also see a reduced sentence through his cooperation.
Garbin is now scheduled for sentencing on July 8. The remaining suspects facing federal charges are set to begin trial on March 23.
— Original Story —
One of the suspects who is accused in a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year is expected to plead guilty Wednesday in a Grand Rapids courtroom.
25-year-old Ty Garbin of Livingston County will be in court after scheduling a change-of-plea hearing, according to a notice filed in federal court. He pleaded not guilty during his initial court hearing back in November. If Garbin pleads guilty, it will be the first conviction in the case. So far 14 people, six facing federal charges and eight facing state charges, have been arrested in the plot.
Prosecutors say Garbin was one of the more active planners of the group. They allege he had cased the governor’s vacation home at night, texted about blowing up a bridge to slow police down, offering to paint his boat for “night fishing” as part of the kidnapping mission and bragged about the ability to manufacture guns.
