Ohio Man Pleads Not Guilty After Alleged Vance Death Threat and Child Sex Abuse File Charge
Shannon Mathre, 33, of Toledo pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance to federal charges alleging he threatened to kill JD Vance and to processing child sexual abuse material. His attorney, Neil McElroy, said Mathre has significant physical and mental health challenges and called the threat charge a "farce"; DOJ agents seized Mathre’s Samsung phone on Jan. 21 and the Secret Service reviewed the online threat — in which he allegedly said he would "use my M14 automatic gun and kill" Vance — amid reporting of several other recent threats against Vance.
📌 Key Facts
- Shannon Mathre, 33, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance to charges alleging he threatened to kill Vice President Vance and to a separate count involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
- Prosecutors allege Mathre threatened Vance, quoting him 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."
- Mathre’s attorney, Neil McElroy, says Mathre has significant physical and mental health challenges and called the threat charge a "farce," while declining to discuss the CSAM count pending discovery.
- The Justice Department seized Mathre’s Samsung phone on Jan. 21 as part of the investigation; the Secret Service says it examined both his online threat and his broader conduct.
- Reporters noted this case as part of a recent pattern of incidents involving threats to Vance: separate men charged in January for breaking windows at Vance’s Ohio home and threatening him at Disneyland, and a Michigan man who was sentenced in November 2025 for threats to kill Trump and Vance.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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February 07, 2026
7:34 PM
Ohio man charged with threatening to kill Vance, processing child abuse files
New information:
- Defendant identified as 33-year-old Shannon Mathre of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded not guilty to both the threat and child sexual abuse material charges at his initial appearance.
- Mathre’s lawyer, Neil McElroy, argues Mathre has significant physical and mental health challenges and calls the threat charge a 'farce,' though he declined to discuss the CSAM count pending discovery.
- The alleged quote from Mathre’s threat: 'I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.'
- The Justice Department seized Mathre’s Samsung phone on Jan. 21 as part of the investigation; the Secret Service says it examined both his online threat and his broader conduct.
- The article notes a pattern of recent cases: separate men charged in January for breaking windows at Vance’s Ohio home, threatening him at Disneyland, and a Michigan man sentenced in November 2025 for threats to kill Trump and Vance.