NEWTON - Jill Space is both a Sussex County Commissioner and the wife of Parker Space, a state senator from the mostly Sussex 24th District.

The senator has had some well-publicized brushes with controversy, so Jill Space is no stranger to the rough and tumble world of politics.

But there are limits to what one can be expected to endure - even in these polarizing times.

Back on Aug.2, Jill Space received an electronic communication that included "lewd, indecent or obscene material"  with the intent of emotionally or physically harming that person.

What was it about?

Specifically, the message said that ICE agents had raped the commissioner's daughters and "They LOVED IT."

It added that Space makes the county safe for pedophiles because, "you love THEM, don't ya bitch?"

The above quotes are from the county Prosecutor's Office, which on Wednesday arrested a man and charged him with Cyber Harassment, which carries a maximum punishment of 18 months in jail.

Arrested and charged was Karl R. Heideck, 45, of Jenkintown, Pa. In what seems hard to believe, Heideck is an attorney, according to the prosecutor's office.

The prosecutor's office did not identify Jill Space as the victim of the harassment, but other sources did so,

Jenkintown is north of Philadelphia in Montgomery County and not all that close to Sussex County, So, Heideck's connection to Sussex seems unknown as of now.

But what is known is that the commissioners have been harshly criticized of late for among other things, supporting ICE.

We must digress.

Sussex is arguably the most Republican county in the state, so general support for ICE is not exactly a mystery.

Nonetheless, the critics include the Sussex Visibility Brigade, which says on its Facebook page that it is "dedicated to bringing attention and visibility to critical issues and injustices facing our country."

The arrest of Heideck, coincidentally, was announced the day of the most recent Board of Commissioners' meeting, which was Wednesday night.

A social media message from the group is obviously aimed at Space. Here is part of what it says:

"Here's the thing. We don't condone nor support death threats, especially against your children.

But hatred is an endless cycle.
You chose hate when you passed a resolution supporting ICE being in churches, schools, and hospitals.
You chose hate when you posed in front of a Confederate flag with your husband, Parker Space who also has a Confederate flag tattoo."

The last point refers to a 2017 incident in which Parker and Jill Space posed in front of a Confederate flag at a Hank Williams Jr. concert. Parker Space was heavily criticized at the time, including by Phil Murphy- then a candidate for governor.

At Wednesday's meeting, Jill Space suggested that a lot of the harassment she is receiving is coming from those who are looking to become "TikTok famous or Facebook famous." She said a lot of her critics are just "spewing hate."