A former Omaha TV weatherman and spokeswoman for a former mayor signed a plea contract months after she was accused of emailing death threats to a health department director for dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
57-year-old Ronald Penzkowski did not plead for two offenses for third-degree assault on Friday, the Omaha World-Herald reported on Monday. Initially, he was charged with terrorist threats.
Penzkowski was arrested on March 31, after investigators said he had multiple emails to Dr. Adi Pour, the director of the Douglas County Health Department. The emails threatening to “lynch” Pour and cut his throat cited Pour’s public health measures and recommendations that residents should stay at home to slow the spread of the virus.
Authorities said Penzkowski tried to cover up the origin of the emails, but a forensic team was able to trace them back to Penzkowski and a cell phone he owned.
Penzkowski was communications director for former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle a decade ago. Prior to that, he worked as a meteorologist for two different Omaha television stations under the name Ron Gerard.
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