Ohio Man Armed With Automatic M14 Charged for Threatening VP JD Vance

A 33-year-old man in Ohio has been charged for threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance. This comes just a month after the vice president’s Cincinnati home in the upscale East Walnut Hills neighborhood was vandalized on January 5.

According to the indictment by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Shannon Mathre allegedly stated that he was going to find out where the Vice President lived and use his M14 automatic gun to kill him. During the investigation, digital files depicting child sexual abuse were also recovered from his possession.

Lawyer Neil S. McElroy, representing Mathre, called the count threatening Vance’s life a "farce." He refused to comment on the charge related to possession of child sexual abuse files, as the prosecutors showed no evidence about the digital files and focused only on the threat.

Mathre faces a maximum five-year penalty and a fine of $250,000 for threatening to kill Vance. He also faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence for the child sexual abuse materials charge and a $250,000 fine, if he is found guilty.

Reacting to the recent developments, the Secret Service told CNN that, “The investigation included not only what the defendant said online and to people, but also his actions and behavior,” adding that it has “been following this for several months with our partners at the FBI and in Ohio.”

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “As a society, we must remain united in our zero tolerance for political violence. This individual will now answer for his actions in a federal court.”

In the recent months several officials from the Trump administration have received threats.

Earlier this week, a man was charged with attempting to murder Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought at his home. The accused Colin Demarco was arrested on January 16.

Demarco was allegedly found on the victim's porch wearing rubber gloves and a surgical mask with a backpack. He was also allegedly concealing a firearm under his shirt. During investigations it was revealed that he was allegedly posting online about the victim and also soliciting others to murder him.

The Justice Department in December charged a man with allegedly sending a threatening text message to presidential envoy and Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell.

A 26-year-old man, William DeFoor, smashed the windows of JD Vance’s Ohio home. DeFoor is currently facing federal charges for allegedly damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against property in a restricted area, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers. The vice president and his family were not at home during the time of the attack.