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Kentucky Man Indicted On Threats Against The President

Posted at 1:03 PM, Jun 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-21 13:03:11-04

GREENBRIER, Tenn. (LEX 18)– A former Bowling Green police officer has been accused of making threats against President Donald Trump.

37-year-old Andrew Long Ryan was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury and charged with two counts of making threats against the President, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee.

Ryan was initially charged in a criminal complaint June 18 and is currently in federal custody.

According to records filed with the court, Ryan posted several messages on his social media accounts on May 28-29, including a Facebook post that read, “Death is coming,” and a Twitter post that read, “I will kill Donald Trump if you don’t follow my leaders lead.” Trump visited Nashville, Tenn. on May 29, 2018. 

The charging documents allege several instances of erratic behavior by Ryan during the months leading up to the President’s visit and continuing until early June 2018, when Ryan was taken into custody for violating a protective order previously obtained by his family. 

The documents outline allegations of Ryan’s declining mental state and threatening behavior during the past several months, including placing family members in fear of their safety and previous incidents where he drew the attention of local law enforcement, the Federal Protective Service, the FBI, and the Secret Service. 

In addition, according to the charging documents, on Feb. 14, officers with the Greenbrier Police Department seized several firearms from Ryan’s home and several law enforcement officers expressed concern that Ryan’s behavior would escalate into an act of mass violence.

If convicted, Ryan faces up to five years in prison on each count.