Jackson County, Mississippi - A man who threatened a friend of Nolan Wells, the teenager who went missing over the July 4 weekend and was found dead days later, was indicted on federal charges in connection with the case.
An Illinois man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Mississippi for allegedly threatening a witness in the Nolan Wells case and his father.
According to reports from South Mississippi TV station WLOX and other outlets, Edward James Porter of Berwyn, Illinois, was indicted in the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Southern Division on Tuesday for threatening calls allegedly made on July 31 to Wells' friend Bart Edmiston Jr. and his father.
Edmiston Jr. helped several friends of Wells when their boat got stuck off the Mississippi Gulf Coast on the evening of July 4, per reports from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
The dual investigations into Wells' disappearance and death are ongoing, and social media users have been tossing out theories left and right regarding what they think happened, leading several of Wells' friends to threaten legal action on more than one account.
Though Porter's indictment came on Tuesday, he was initially charged on July 31. He is expected to appear before a judge in Gulfport, Mississippi, on September 4. He faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted. It's unclear what the exact charges are that he faces.
The threatening calls to Edmiston's family occurred around the time their attorney, Russ Latino, confirmed they had sent a cease-and-desist to social media user and OnlyFans personality Kymbra Li, accusing them of spreading false claims linking Edmiston Jr. to Wells' death.
Latino has stated on numerous occasions that Edmiston Jr. has never been identified by authorities as a suspect in Wells' death, adding that he and his family have cooperated in the investigation.
The indictment came days after three other friends of Wells threatened to sue Reverend Al Sharpton, claiming he defamed them.