Man accused of threatening Congressman John Lewis' staff denied bond

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A judge says an Atlanta man accused of threatening the staff of U.S. Rep. John Lewis must undergo a mental health evaluation before the judge will consider releasing him from custody.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman denied bail Monday for 42-year-old Dante Antoine Rosser. He scheduled another hearing for March 23.

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Court records say the Democratic congressman's Atlanta-based staff members expressed "grave concerns" for their safety after Rosser visited their office and also made repeated phone calls.   

The FBI says Rosser made 46 calls over two days last month and demanded the congressman's staff seek "financial reparations" for his family.

The criminal complaint says Rosser threatened to "splatter their heads all over the ground."   

He's charged with threatening to assault a federal official.

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Rosser's public defender Nicole Kaplan declined to comment.

FBI spokesman Steve Emmett told FOX 5's Portia Bruner, Rosser crossed the line on February 23 when he allegedly told a staffer quote, "I will blow your head off. You're dead. You're dead.”

"It's one thing to get emotional or worked up when you're talking to elected officials and staff members, but that's a serious threat," said Emmett.

In the criminal complaint, investigators said Rosser also suggested staffers should be concerned for their safety "since they have to leave the office."

Federal agents arrested the 42-year-old at his Southwest Atlanta home on Peyton Place and charged him with making threats against a U.S. official.

Fulton County jail records show he's been arrested several times since 1991 for crimes including cocaine possession, abandonment of a minor child and simple battery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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