CLEARWATER, Fla. (WIAT) — A man from Collinsville, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to sending both text and voice messages to a member of the Clearwater City Council in Florida that were described as both violent and threatening.

Earlier this month, Ricky James Myers pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor charge, months after he had been arrested for sending a total of six messages to Mark Bunker in Clearwater, Florida, back in October 2022. In one court affidavit, Myers allegedly threatened to kill Bunker and cut off his head. He also alleged that he was angry that Bunker “had put him in prison for 17 years,” even though Bunker had never worked in law enforcement. There were also threatening messages on Facebook that Myers had sent to Bunker.

“Without getting into specifics, there were threats of violence and bodily harm,” Clearwater Police Detective Eli Glenn told CBS 42 back in May.

After Bunker reported the messages to police, Myers was charged with aggravated stalking, arrested, and extradited to Florida on April 29. He was subsequently released from jail after posting $50,000 bond.

Glenn said he could find no connection between Bunker and Myers or that they even knew one another. During an interview with Alabama law enforcement, Myers claimed he did not know Bunker and that his phone must have been hacked.

Myers could not be reached for comment on why he contacted Bunker.

“I wish I knew what had motivated him to make these threats to begin with,” Bunker told the Tampa Bay Times. “I’m just curious about that, but I’m sure what he’s gone through in dealing with this is most likely punishment enough, and I don’t want to make his life more difficult.”

As part of his plea, Myers will avoid jail time, but must pay $1,479 to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, as well as $500 in court costs.

Attempts to reach Bunker for comment were unsuccessful Thursday.