The Ohio man was found to have child sex abuse materials on his phone, federal prosecutors said.
By Catholics for Catholics
A day before JD Vance was scheduled to speak in Toledo, an Ohio man was charged with threatening to kill the Vice President, according to federal prosecutors.
Shannon Mathre, 33, of Toledo, Ohio, said on Jan. 21 that he was going to find Vance and “use my M14 automatic gun and kill him,” according to an indictment filed on Wednesday in the Northern District of Ohio, according to The New York Times.
It was not clear how law enforcement officials found out about Mathre’s statement. It was also not clear if he made the comment in writing or orally.
Vance was in Toledo to speak at an event to talk about the administration’s economic agenda, according to a social media post from the Vice President.
Investigators found out while probing the threat, that Mathre had child sexual abuse materials on his phone, prosecutors said. He was indicted on charges of threats against the president and successors to the presidency, and receipt and distribution of child pornography, according to court records.
Still, Neil S. McElroy, Mathre’s attorney said on Saturday that he could not comment on the child pornography charge because evidence had not yet been presented.
Man indicted for threatening to k*ll Vice President Vance.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) February 7, 2026
Shannon Mathre (33) of Toledo, Ohio, was arrested by Secret Service on Friday.
Child s*x abuse material was found on his devices.
Mathre is facing up to 25 years in prison.
He deserves a life sentence.
(WTOL11 on YT) pic.twitter.com/zH4uEuRNCZ
“As to the first count, while the charge against Mr. Mathre may buttress the administration’s narrative regarding threats of violence aimed at members of the administration, this particular charge — as it relates to Mr. Mathre and his conduct — is a farce,” Mr. McElroy wrote in an email.
Detained on Friday, Mathre was being held at the Lucas County Corrections Center in Toledo until a detention hearing on Wednesday, according to court records.
“Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release. “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”
Mathre faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted for his threat against the vice president and up to 20 years in prison on the child pornography charge, prosecutors said.
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