Colorado Springs police arrested a man Friday for threatening El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf, a candidate in a high-profile state Senate race.

Casey Jones, 30, was arrested on suspicion of harassment and menacing, department spokeswoman Caitlin Ford said. He does not have a prior criminal record.

VanderWerf, a Republican, said he reported death threats to the police and felt safer after hearing about the arrest. He said he hoped, if proven guilty, Jones would receive a punishment that would serve as a deterrent and pathway for rehabilitation.

He also said he believed the string of “insanely vicious attack ads,” taken out against him in the race for Senate District 12 may have contributed to the threats. He said he never received death threats as a county commissioner. VanderWerf is running against House Rep. Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, to replace Bob Gardner to represent an area that covers western Colorado Springs and other communities west and south of town.

The seat is critical because Democrats are one seat away from a supermajority in the Senate.

The ads accused VanderWerf of accepting taxpayer money, funds he says include his regular salary and trips for advocacy and education. He was also accused of cutting sick leave for public employees, among other claims. VanderWerf noted El Paso County employees receive generous benefits, including four hours of sick leave for every two weeks of work. VanderWerf said he reported some of the ads to YouTube for including falsehoods.

Snyder, the former mayor of Manitou Springs, said the death threats are reprehensible and he has not been involved in the attack ads on VanderWerf.

All Together Colorado, an independent expenditure committee, has spent about $219,255 on the ads against VanderWerf. The group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Snyder said he cannot ask the committee to stop attack ads because candidates cannot collaborate with the committees. But he does not support it in any way and does not believe voters appreciate it.

He also said he could empathize with VanderWerf because an unhappy constituent waylaid him on a hiking trail when he was serving on the Manitou City Council. The man faced harassment and assault charges.

“I hope that Stan and his family are feeling safe, I know what it feels like to be traumatized by somebody,” he said.

He noted the Senate Majority Fund, an organization supporting Republican candidates, has also taken out negative ads on him, such as claims he supported no national borders, a false accusation. The most recent campaign finance records shows the Majority Fund has spent $10,000 on campaign efforts against Snyder. The Fund had $1.2 million on hand at the end of September.