Center Line man sentenced to 10 months in prison for threatening Whitmer, DTE

Steven Conway has a history of mental health issues and troubling behavior, according to prosecutors and his attorney.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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A 40-year-old Center Line man named Steven Conway was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for making online threats to assassinate Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and threatening shareholders of DTE Energy. Prosecutors said Conway has a history of making threats and troubling behavior, though his attorney argued his actions were a symptom of his untreated mental health struggles.

Why it matters

This case highlights the challenges of balancing public safety concerns with providing appropriate mental health support for individuals who make threats. It also raises questions about how the justice system should respond to those with severe mental illness who engage in threatening behavior.

The details

According to prosecutors, in January 2025 Conway called a DTE Energy call center and threatened that shareholders would be "targeted for assassination." He also posted on a dating app saying that Whitmer was "marked for assassination." Conway admitted to making the calls to DTE out of anger over alleged pollution, and said he had made statements about Whitmer in the past but didn't recall the specific threat. Prosecutors said Conway has a history of making threats, including calling a court clerk in 2024 and threatening to kill a judge, as well as calling police and threatening to shoot them, though he was not convicted in that case.

  • On January 23, 2025, Conway contacted a DTE Energy call center and made threats.
  • On January 27, 2025, Conway posted a threat about Whitmer on the GROWLR app.
  • In October 2024, Conway was convicted of making harassing calls to a court in Warren, Michigan.

The players

Steven Conway

A 40-year-old man from Center Line, Michigan who was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for making threats against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and DTE Energy.

Gretchen Whitmer

The Governor of Michigan who was the target of threats made by Steven Conway.

DTE Energy

An energy company that was the target of threats made by Steven Conway.

Daniel Dena

The attorney representing Steven Conway, who argued his client's actions were a symptom of his untreated mental health issues.

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What they’re saying

“He generally admitted to that he 'acts like a psychopath' and is a 'loud mouth.' He also speculated that the agents were speaking with him because of a post where he said he wanted to blow up the world because he hated it so much.”

— Steven Conway (Prosecutors' sentencing memorandum)

“This case is about words that were frightening, unacceptable, and taken seriously by everyone who heard them. But it is also about a man whose mental illness turned fear, paranoia, and instability into reckless speech, not calculated violence. The law rightly condemns the threat. Justice, however, must respond more humanely to the person who made it.”

— Daniel Dena, Attorney for Steven Conway (Sentencing memorandum)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Steven Conway out on bail after his 10-month prison sentence.

The takeaway

This case highlights the challenges of balancing public safety concerns with providing appropriate mental health support for individuals who make threats. It raises questions about how the justice system should respond to those with severe mental illness who engage in threatening behavior, and whether more can be done to connect these individuals with the treatment they need.