California man arrested for sending bomb threats to Judge Ashlee Cole over Nolan Wells case
Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce is locked up after federal investigators charged him with interstate transmission of threatening communication—a federal crime carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The charge? Dumarce allegedly used the Facebook account handle “yaeyae962” to send Judge Ashlee Cole threatening messages connected to the explosive Nolan Wells death investigation that’s been dominating national headlines for weeks.
Let’s reset the scene: Nolan Wells was last seen alive on July 4 and his body was recovered Monday on Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. But here’s the complication—Judge Ashlee Cole, a Jackson County Chancery Judge, is the stepmother of Warren Hudson, one of the friends who was with Wells on that fateful trip. When Cole publicly addressed rumors about her family’s involvement and temporarily deactivated her Facebook, she became a lightning rod for online rage. That’s when the threats started flowing.
Cole said her family received dozens of threatening messages including explicit threats against her children, references to bombs, and promises of violence. Those messages didn’t stay anonymous for long. Federal investigators traced email and IP addresses associated with the Facebook account and cross-referenced identifying information including date of birth, phone number, and street addresses tied to the account to identify Dumarce.
But the source article hints at something darker in the alleged threats themselves. One message, according to the original report, stated: “There will be a package coming to your guys office in the next few days. It s gonna blow you away when you see it. LoL. Probably best to have the boys there to see as well.” The allegations also included threats to strangle Cole’s sons. This isn’t clown-energy online drama—it’s federal-level intimidation designed to silence a judge’s family during an active death investigation.
The Wells case has already spiraled into legal chaos. Ben Crump’s legal team formally notified Judge Ashlee Cole to preserve evidence as civil litigation over Wells’ death is anticipated, with the letter dated July 20 sent by attorney Gary Bufkin. The reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction now stands at $175,000. Meanwhile, a former football teammate of Nolan Wells is preparing to file a defamation lawsuit against social media users who accused him of involvement in the 18-year-old’s death. The case has weaponized the internet—viral accusations, doxxing, harassment, and now federal charges.
What’s particularly chilling is the timing. This arrest comes as the Wells family’s legal team is moving fast. The evidence preservation letters went out on the day of Wells’ funeral. Social media platforms are being subpoenaed. Attorneys are prepping civil suits. In that environment, someone in California decided to send bomb threats to a sitting judge. Whether Dumarce had inside knowledge of the case or just caught the viral wave and took it to a criminal extreme, the message is clear: the Nolan Wells investigation has pushed online culture past hot takes and into felony territory.
The 16BARS take: When a case goes viral, it attracts both investigators and internet vigilantes—and when those vigilantes cross into federal crimes, it muddies the water for the people actually seeking justice. Dumarce’s arrest shows that threats won’t work; they’ll only add defendants to the growing list of people facing legal exposure in the Wells case.
