Texan pleads guilty to threatening Maryland vaccine advocate

BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a Texas man has pleaded guilty to threatening a Maryland doctor who has been a prominent advocate for COVID-19 vaccines. U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek L. Barron said in a news release that 51-year-old Scott Eli Harris of Aubrey, Texas, pleaded guilty Monday to threats transmitted by interstate communication. According to his plea agreement and statements made in connection with the plea hearing, Harris sent a threatening message from his cellphone to the doctor. Court documents identify the doctor only as “Dr. L. W., who had been a vocal proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine.”  Harris faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison at sentencing on April 21.