KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A disciplinary panel is recommending that Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd be publicly reprimanded for professional misconduct.

The panel’s recommendation now goes to the Missouri Supreme Court for a final decision.

KCUR reports a complaint was filed against Zahnd over his reaction to residents of a northwest Missouri town defending a convicted child sex offender. Zahnd reportedly threatened people who wrote letters supporting the offender before his sentencing. He then sent out a news release publicly naming the residents after the man was sentenced.

A public reprimand does not limit Zahnd’s right to continue practicing law. If the state Supreme Court follows the recommendation, the reprimand would become a public record.

Zahnd said he disagreed with the panel’s recommendation and is still determining what his response will be.