Ex-inmate accused of threatening officers pleads not guilty

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) - A former Washington State Penitentiary inmate has pleaded not guilty to sending threatening letters while in prison.

The Union-Bulletin reports 47-year-old Michael T. Donery entered his plea on Monday. He faces seven counts of harassment for sending letters in April to an individual outside the prison that penitentiary staff intercepted.

Donery is accused of threatening to kill, torture and eat correctional officers in the letters.

Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge John Lohrmann set Donery's bail at $70,000. His trial has been scheduled for Nov. 13.