Metro-east man accused of threats released ahead of Troy data center meeting
A Trenton man accused of threatening to kill Troy officials and contractors on Facebook was released from jail Monday, a day before a public meeting about a proposed data center in Troy.
Anthony P. Hinojosa, 33, faces three felony charges: intimidation, false report of an offense, and electronic harassment, court records and a Troy Police Department news release said.
A judge ordered Hinojosa’s release from the Madison County Jail on Monday, according to court documents. He was arrested Friday, the day the charges were filed.
Madelyn J. Daley of Belleville is listed in court records as Hinojosa’s attorney. She could not be reached for comment Monday.
Troy officials and leaders from nearby cities are considering allowing a data center to open in the region.
A public information meeting on a “potential data center development” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Triad High School in Troy. Representatives from Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a Houston-based developer, are expected to speak.
Last week in Granite City, nearly 300 people packed a community center for a meeting on a similar data center proposal.
Trade union leaders voiced support for the project, calling it a job creator and economic development tool. Some residents raised concerns about utility costs, environmental impacts and transparency.
Data centers house and manage servers, storage systems, networking equipment and hardware for processing and distributing large amounts of data. Officials say the need for such centers is growing with advances in artificial intelligence.
Charges
According to the intimidation charge, Hinojosa on Feb. 4 allegedly attempted to cause Troy officials “to stop ongoing public discussion, debate and negotiation concerning the development of a data center within the municipal limits” by making a “threat to inflict physical harm on any workers, contractors or city employees responsible for the development of a data center.”
The electronic harassment charge alleges Hinojosa used Facebook “to threaten injury to the person or property of the City of Troy officials or contractors, and defendant threatened to kill City of Troy officials or contractors.”
According to court documents, the false report of an offense charge alleges Hinojosa indicated “that an offense of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm would be committed, knowing at the time of the transmission that there was no reasonable ground for believing that the offense” would occur.
Hinojosa made an initial appearance on Monday before Madison County Associate Judge John P. Hackett, who ordered his release from jail.
The charges do not qualify as offenses that would have allowed Hackett to detain Hinojosa under the state’s SAFE-T Act. However, Hackett granted a motion for additional pretrial release conditions sought by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Those conditions include a ban on posting any “threatening or harassing messages to Facebook, or other public forum” and a prohibition on contacting any Troy officials or contractors, except for legitimate business purposes.