Ohio Resident Faces Charges for Threatening Vice President JD Vance and Child Exploitation

Shannon Mathre, a 33-year-old from Ohio, has been charged with making threats to kill Vice President JD Vance, alongside serious allegations of receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material. The latter was discovered during the investigation into his threats.

On Friday, Secret Service agents arrested Mathre following an indictment by a grand jury. The Justice Department reported that he allegedly declared, “I am going to find out where [Vance] is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”

The timeline of the alleged offenses spans from December 31, 2025, to January 21, 2026, during which Mathre is accused of possessing and distributing the abusive material. This evidence came to light as authorities delved into his threats against Vance.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service noted, "The investigation included not only what the defendant said online and to people, but also his actions and behavior. We have been following this for several months with our partners at the FBI and in Ohio."

"As a society, we must remain united in our zero tolerance for political violence," the spokesperson added. "This individual will now answer for his actions to a federal court."

Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”

This incident follows closely on the heels of another case where a Maryland man was charged with attempting to murder Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, another official from the Trump administration.

Since their campaign in 2024, both Vance and former President Donald Trump have faced numerous threats. Just last month, the Justice Department charged an individual for damaging Vance’s residence in Ohio.

In July 2024, shortly after an assassination attempt on then-candidate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, authorities apprehended a man in Florida who allegedly made social media threats against both Trump and Vance.

Earlier this month, Ryan Routh received a life sentence plus an additional seven years for a firearm offense after being convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024.