Ohio Man Charged Over Alleged Threat to Kill JD Vance

Investigators also uncovers child sexual abuse materials as they probe the alleged threat, prosecutors said.

Vice President JD Vance speaks ahead of the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington on Jan. 23, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

An Ohio man has been charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance when the Republican visited his home state.

Shannon Mathre, 31, of Toledo, Ohio, was arrested on Feb. 6 by the Secret Service after a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against him, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Mathre is accused of threatening to kill Vance during the vice president’s trip to northwestern Ohio in January. Prosecutors alleged that Mathre said he planned to find out where Vance would be and “use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”

As investigators probed Mathre’s alleged threats, prosecutors say they also discovered digital files containing child sexual abuse materials. In addition to one count of making threats against the president and successors to the presidency, Mathre is charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Mathre made his initial appearance on Feb. 6 before a U.S. magistrate judge in the Northern District of Ohio and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Feb. 11, the DOJ said.

“Anyone threatening this kind of action will face swift justice and prosecution,” David Toepfer, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said in a statement.

“We commend the actions of our local and state law enforcement who collaborated with U.S. Secret Service to take this individual into custody.”

Mathre’s attorney, Neil McElroy, argued that the threat charge is not credible given his client’s mental and physical condition.

“Anyone that spends any time in a room with Mr. Mathre or has any knowledge of his condition—physical condition, mental condition—can see that it’s a farce,” McElroy said.

He declined to describe Mathre’s health issues in detail but said his client has “some mental disabilities and a variety of other conditions.”

McElroy said he could not yet comment on the child sexual abuse material charge because prosecutors have not provided discovery on that count at this early stage.

Mathre’s arrest followed that of William D. DeFoor, 26, who was accused of damaging a car and four windows at Vance’s Cincinnati home shortly after the vice president returned to Washington.

The Secret Service arrested DeFoor on Jan. 5 as he ran from the property. Vance has taken to social media to express his gratitude to the Secret Service and the Cincinnati police for their quick response.

“As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows,” Vance said at that time.

Vance is currently in Milan, Italy, attending the Winter Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.