Joseph Clifford Elms, 43, was convicted of criminal threat on July 10 after pleading guilty during a plea hearing. On Wednesday, Aug. 14, Elms was sentenced to 16 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections, to be served consecutively to any sentence Elms is already serving.

According to court documents, the victim, a licensed attorney, contacted a Special Agent with the Enforcement, Apprehensions and Investigation Unit at the Lansing Correctional Facility. During a meeting between the agent and the victim, a letter written by Elms was reviewed. In the letter, Elms states that upon his release, he will pursue the victim until he is found. In the letter, Elms provides graphic details of the physical acts of violence he will perform on the victim, according to a release from the office of Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

“No one should have to deal with threats of violence,” Thompson said. “If someone receives threatening letters, they should quickly contact law enforcement, as the victim in this case correctly did.”