Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, a 27-year-old man from Sacramento, California, was arrested and charged with interstate transmission of a threatening communication, a federal offense, after allegedly sending violent threats to Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole. Judge Cole's son, Warren Hudson, was among the friends with 18-year-old Nolan Wells during a July 4 boat outing to Horn Island, Mississippi, where Wells later disappeared.

According to court documents, Dumarce sent several threats to Judge Cole via Facebook Messenger, including a message warning that a package was headed to her office and stating, “you have maybe 10 seconds or less to ask God for forgiveness” once it was opened. He also allegedly made calls to numbers connected to Judge Cole’s court office at 1:27 a.m. on July 11.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Dumarce was identified through information tied to an associated email account, including IP address data, birth date, phone number, and street address.

Judge Cole posted screenshots of the threats on her Facebook account on July 9, noting it was “not the appropriate forum to further elaborate on the facts of July 4, 2026.” Her son Warren Hudson has said he was interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and “cooperated fully.”

The case has also seen other individuals connected to Nolan Wells targeted. Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley-Wells, reported receiving hostile calls, harassing mail, and negative reviews on her professional page. Attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wells family, condemned the harassment at a press conference.

Nolan Wells disappeared after a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, on July 4. His remains were found on July 6 by a National Parks Service ranger. Wells was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College with aspirations to play at the Division I level.

In a related note, Dumarce was previously arrested in April 2019 by Sacramento police after allegedly exposing himself to a 13-year-old girl and attempting to pull her into his car.

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