Prosecutors: Man threatened to 'blow up' church BLM sign

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A Springfield man is accused of threatening to blow up a "Black Lives Matter" sign at a local church. 

Sangamon County prosecutors said 31-year-old Caleb A. May called the pastor of First Church of the Brethren and made the threat. The intent was to cause the church to remove it. 

The sign in questions was displayed outside and on church property. 

May is charged with intimidation and telephone harassment. The intimidation charge, a Class 3 felony count, could mean a punishment of probation to as much as five years in prison if the suspect is found guilty. Telephone harassment, a Class B misdemeanor charge, would carry a maximum of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of as much as $1,500.

"While the investigation did not indicate that the conduct was motivated by the actual or perceived race of the victim as necessary to charge as a hate crime, intimidation and harassment motivated by the exercise of every citizen’s right to free speech cannot be tolerated in our community," said Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright. 

 May is in custody at the Sangamon County Jail. His bail is set at $50,000.