A Hugo woman who left a series of threatening voicemails for Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth was sentenced Thursday to three years of supervised probation.

Rachel Marie Welsch, 43, pleaded guilty in Washington County District Court to one felony count of threats of violence in July.

Judge Juanita Freeman also ordered Welsch to complete 180 hours of community work service and set several conditions, including that she have no contact with Demuth or her staff and complete mental health programming.

Welsch called Demuth’s office at least 26 times between Jan. 1 and Feb. 24, according to prosecutors. The messages concerned current political issues and became more threatening toward the Cold Spring Republican over time.

In a victim impact statement at sentencing, Demuth told the court that nearly every call was made between about 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. She said the messages, which her staff also had to listen to, caused fear and tension for herself, her family and staff.

“I should have not received this type of violent and evil communication as I continued to do the work I was elected by my constituents to do,” she said.

According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol on New Year’s Day began investigating voicemails that Welsch left on the office phones of Demuth and another member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

In her first message to Demuth, Welsch said she was going to “come down there and meet you,” adding, “I am not kidding. Wherever you are, you should be wondering when we are going to come.”

In a second message that day, Welsch expressed her anger about federal funding being cut for daycare and called Demuth a “racist piece of (expletive).” Welsch said she would find Demuth wherever she was.

State troopers went to Welsch’s home on Jan. 2, and she acknowledged leaving them. When a trooper asked Welsch whether she planned to harm Demuth, she asked the troopers to leave.

The messages continued. On Jan. 8, Welsch called Demuth a “traitor” and said, “What do we do to traitors? What did they do to traitors back in the day? I am going to have to brush up on my history.”

In a Feb. 11 voicemail, Welsch referred to the troopers’ visit to her home and said, “There is not bulletproof glass between us. Do you understand that?” Later in the message, she said, “You are going to fall. And I will be there, I’ll be at the end of that barrel. You are going to fall.”

Welsch left a message on Feb. 24 saying she looked forward to seeing the Speaker “face to face” on the campaign trail in her county. She said she wanted to show Demuth “how good I have been getting at my 2A (Second Amendment) classes, and learning how to shoot,” and offered to send a picture showing “how good of a marksman I am.”

Demuth filed a petition for a harassment restraining order on Feb. 24, and it was granted by a judge the next day.

An extreme risk protection order filed by the State Patrol against Welsch was granted Feb. 25 and also accused her of targeting Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Dellwood, whose district includes Hugo.

At the sentencing hearing, Demuth said disagreement with elected officials should never lead to threats or violence.

“The way to express your thoughts and opinions or share knowledge, and be heard, is by phone calls, email, in-person meetings or written letters,” she said. “These communications can be very pointed and direct, and it may result in better understanding of another’s point of view.”

Assistant Washington County Attorney Nick Hydukovich told the court that Welsch’s threats “were even more problematic and more concerning” because of the June 2025 shootings that killed DFL state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home, and severely wounded DFL state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin.

“Everyone in public office, whether elected or not, has to be able to do their jobs without fear of being harmed,” Hydukovich said. “But just as importantly, they can’t be afraid that their family members or staff members will be harmed.”

Welsch declined to address the court before hearing her sentence.

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