A Hugo woman who left a series of threatening voicemails for Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has been
sentenced to three years of supervised probation.
Rachel Marie Welsch, 43, pleaded guilty in July to one felony count of threats of violence, Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said.
A Washington County judge stayed imposition of the sentence and ordered Welsch to complete 180 hours of community service, have no contact with Demuth or her staff and complete mental health programming.
According to the criminal complaint, Welsch began leaving nearly daily messages for lawmakers in January. The messages initially included angry comments about political issues but became increasingly threatening.
In one voicemail, Welsch said she would find Demuth wherever she was. In another, she referenced firearms and told the speaker, “There is not bulletproof glass between us.”
Welsch also told Demuth she wanted to see her face to face on the campaign trail and offered to show how well she had been learning to shoot.
Minnesota State Patrol troopers visited Welsch’s home in January. She acknowledged leaving the messages, according to the complaint.
At sentencing, Demuth told the court the threats caused fear for herself, her family and her staff. She said political disagreements should never lead to threats or violence.
Prosecutors had sought five years of probation and 300 hours of community service. With Demuth’s agreement, the state supported community service instead of jail time.
Welsch must complete at least 60 hours of community service during her first year of probation. She is also prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives and must follow recommendations from a cognitive skills evaluation.
Magnuson said Minnesotans are free to strongly disagree with elected officials but are not free to threaten them.
Threats against public officials must be taken seriously, Magnuson said, particularly following the 2025 assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
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