Conviction affirmed in threat case

SHELBY TOWNSHIP (AP) — An appeals court says there’s nothing wrong with using testimony from non-experts to convict a man of sending a threatening letter to U.S. Rep. Candice Miller.

A mail carrier, a neighbor and an FBI agent said the handwriting appeared to belong to Robby Harris. He was convicted last year in Detroit federal court and sentenced to 30 months in prison.

In a recent 3-0 decision, the appeals court said the witnesses didn’t say Harris mailed the threatening letter. They simply informed jurors that they believed he wrote the letter, which demanded $1 million from
Miller, a Macomb County Republican.

One of the witnesses was a woman who knew Harris’ writing because she had received love letters from the Pontiac man.