ATLANTA — A Colorado woman and a Wisconsin man have pleaded not guilty in connection with an attack on a construction firm’s offices in Cobb County.
Federal prosecutors in Atlanta told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne that the two suspects tried to intimidate the firm into halting work on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
Katie Marie Kloth and Tyler John Norman pleaded not guilty to a June federal indictment alleging crimes in May 2022.
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U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg says Kloth and Norman were trying to stop the building of the training center, but were unsuccessful. He says their charges should send a message about political violence.
“We’re not going to tolerate this sort of behavior. People cannot come and target Atlanta, come from out of state, cause violence in our community, and expect that they’re not going to be held accountable," Hertzberg said.
He says Kloth and Norman were part of a group who fired off fireworks and vandalized the Cobb County offices of construction company Brasfield and Gorrie.
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Hertzberg says Attorney General Todd Blanche personally signed off on one of the counts in the indictment because the federal law used requires high-level Department of Justice approval.
“This was not protest. This was not free speech. This was a crime,” Hertzberg said.
Winne tried by phone and email to reach attorneys for Kloth and Norman.[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]