A Cape Cod man was convicted Wednesday of threatening State Representative Steve Xiarhos by saying people might set fire to the lawmaker’s home and “tar and feather” him on the streets of Hyannis, prosecutors said.

James A. Spence, 63, of Dennis, was convicted by a jury of one count of threatening to commit a crime, Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois said in a statement.

The charge arose from a message that appeared on a public Facebook page in February.

On Feb. 25, police in Barnstable received a screenshot from Xiarhos that had been taken by the administrator of the “Sandwich News” Facebook group, according to court filings. The screenshot showed a response from Spence to a post by Xiarhos.

“Tell your tyrant to reel it in or the people will burn your house, o

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