TOLEDO, Ohio – A 33-year-old Toledo man is facing federal charges after authorities say he threatened to kill Vice President JD Vance ahead of a January visit to northwest Ohio. Investigators say the case widened after a search turned up multiple digital files described as child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), bringing separate accusations tied to receipt and distribution.
Federal grand jurors in the Northern District of Ohio indicted Shannon Mathre this week. He is charged with one count of threatening to kill or inflict bodily harm on a successor to the presidency, under 18 U.S.C. § 871(a). The U.S. Secret Service arrested Mathre on February 6, 2026, after the indictment was returned.
Court filings and Justice Department statements say the threat was posted or sent on or about January 21, 2026. That was one day before Vice President Vance was set to attend a public event in the Toledo area. The indictment quotes Mathre as saying: “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”
Federal officials say they moved quickly after the alleged threat surfaced, reviewing Mathre’s online activity and looking into whether he had the intent to act. During the arrest and search, agents seized a Samsung phone and other devices. A forensic review allegedly found several files showing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Ohio Grand Jury Charges
The grand jury also charged Mathre with receipt and distribution of child pornography under 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2). Prosecutors allege the conduct occurred between December 31, 2025, and January 21, 2026, which overlaps with the time frame of the alleged threat. Federal agencies often use the term CSAM to stress that the content documents abuse.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the case in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He said that while arresting Mathre for the alleged threat against the vice president, federal law enforcement also found child sexual abuse materials in his possession.
Mathre appeared in federal court after his arrest and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Neil McElroy, told reporters that Mathre’s health problems make it unlikely he could have carried out a real-world attack. A judge ordered him held at the Lucas County Corrections Center while he awaits a detention hearing later this week.
The charges arrive as security teams face a steady stream of online threats aimed at public officials. Vance, a former Ohio senator and the author of Hillbilly Elegy, has had other recent security-related incidents tied to his name.
Authorities said January included separate cases, including a California man accused of making threats during a Disneyland visit and an Ohio man accused of damaging windows at Vance’s Cincinnati-area home.
Federal prosecutors say threats against the president, vice president, and others in the line of succession are treated as serious crimes, even when a suspect may not seem able to follow through. The threat charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The child pornography count carries up to 20 years in prison and the same maximum fine.
Disbelief and Anger in Ohio
The U.S. Secret Service, which handles protective investigations involving threats against protectees, did not share details about how the alleged threat was first identified, citing the ongoing case. In many investigations, such leads can come from public tips, platform reports, or other monitoring that flags threatening content.
Legal experts say it is common for additional crimes to surface once investigators start reviewing a suspect’s devices and accounts. One former federal prosecutor, speaking anonymously, said that when agents track a person’s digital trail for one allegation, they sometimes uncover evidence of other offenses. The child exploitation charges, the prosecutor added, tend to raise public concern because they involve harm to children.
In Toledo, reactions have ranged from disbelief to anger. Online posts on Reddit and X have included calls for quick prosecution, along with political speculation. Authorities have not said the threat was part of a larger plan or linked to an organized group.
As the case moves forward, prosecutors are expected to rely on evidence pulled from Mathre’s devices, including communications, timestamps, and metadata tied to the alleged threat and the CSAM-related counts. No trial date has been set.
The Justice Department said it will continue to pursue cases involving threats against public officials and crimes involving the exploitation of children. The investigation remains active.
