Nashville, TN – A convicted felon was arrested early this morning after being linked to a social media account that sent death threats to retired Davidson County Judge Stanley Kweller. Michael Wortham, 31, was taken into custody by detectives from the TITANS Unit while he was sleeping in his car in Old Hickory.
The arrest follows an extensive investigation that began in May after threatening messages were traced to a Facebook account believed to be linked to Wortham. Authorities said the messages were related to a January 2024 custody decision in which Wortham lost his parental rights. Kweller, who had presided over the case, retired from the bench shortly after the ruling.
Specialized Investigations Division detectives worked to confirm that Wortham’s phone number was connected to the Facebook account responsible for the harassment. Despite initial reports that Wortham was living out of state, detectives entered his information into a national database after felony warrants were issued for aggravated stalking and retaliation for past action.
The breakthrough came when Wortham’s vehicle was flagged by a license plate reader in Arkansas on Saturday, providing investigators with a lead. Following this, MNPD detectives were able to track his movements and located him in the area of his last known address in Davidson County.
Wortham was arrested without incident and is currently in custody facing charges related to the death threats made against the former judge. Authorities continue to investigate the case as they work to uncover more details surrounding the threats and the motivation behind them.
