Warren Mayor Jim Fouts accuses city official of hacking Facebook page

WARREN, Mich. (WJBK) - The Warren treasurer claims Mayor Fouts falsely accused her of a criminal act and now Lorie Barnwell is getting violent threats from his supporters.
 
FOX 2: "Mr. Fouts we wanted to talk to you about the treasurer..."

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is apparently still avoiding the media. FOX 2 was hoping to talk to him about his latest Facebook rant, where he goes after city Treasurer Lorie Barnwell.

She says she was trying to connect more with her constituents, through her website phone calls and adding residents to her Facebook page.

So Barnwell was stunned to learn Fouts, who once endorsed her, is now publicly accusing her of hacking his Facebook page.

"For some reason (he) thought adding friends on Facebook you were hacking," said Barnwell. "I don't know if he quite understands how Facebook works but adding friends on Facebook is not hacking."

And now Barnwell says his angry supporters are posting threats against her and her family.

"(Expletive) you are done I will do my best to make your life hell. ... Stay out of the public's view; I'll be watching you (expletive).'"

FOX 2: "This is because of Mayor Fouts' post?"

"Yes, he has riled everyone up with these lies that I've been hacking into his site," Barnwell said. "For me I took this extremely personally, I actually have a young son."

Barnwell has since filed a police report against the person who wrote the Facebook threat. She believes Fouts reacting like this after she called him out about his offensive recordings - telling him to admit to it or fight the tapes.

Fouts has done neither. He continues to lash out on social media against people who disagree with him.

Last week he went after Mayor pro tem Kelly Colegio's elderly mother who lives an hour and half away, but is friends with someone who openly criticizes Fouts on Facebook.

In the meeting Colegio demanded Fouts to leave her mother alone.

"If you have a problem and you want to come at me politically, that's fine," she said. "I don't want to fight with you politically; I want to do what's best for the city. That's all I am going to say about that. My mother is off the table."

But for months now Fouts' response has been the same, refusing to answer any questions about his bizarre actions.

"I don't have an allegiance to Mayor Fouts, I have an allegiance to the voters," Barnwell said.

FOX 2: "What do you think Fouts has to do right now?"

"He has to apologize," Barnwell said.

Barnwell says when Fouts accused her of hacking she texted him right away to figure what was going on and he never responded.

WEB UPDATE: Jim Fouts did not respond to Taryn Asher's interview request but did offer commentary on her report.

"Very disappointed with a one sided commentary tonight. Ambush at it's best! Somehow I'm to blame for what one of my Facebook followers might have said. Apparently Lorie has a right to go on my Facebook and do whatever she wants and if I object than I'm at fault. Somehow that all falls into "threatening her"? I don't know if it is "rigged media" or "bias media" but it certainly isn't objective. Regardless I will continue to do my job and not let distractions and allegations without merit interfere with being Mayor. Added to the fact they piled on with another unrelated story in which there is no substance whatsoever. Didn't even interview the parties about that one!"