Maryland man charged for leaving letter threatening Biden and Harris
Washington — A Maryland man was arrested after allegedly leaving a note threatening Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris at a house with yard signs supporting the Democratic candidates.
James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, Maryland, faces one charge of threats against a major candidate for president and vice president, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors allege Reed left the letter threatening to kidnap and kill Biden and Harris on the doorstep of a Maryland house on the morning of October 4. He was caught on a Ring door camera leaving the handwritten note, according to an affidavit filed in the federal district court in Maryland, and the resident of the house had Biden/Harris signs in their yard.
"This is a warning to anyone reading this letter if you are a Biden/Harris supporter you will be targeted. We have a list of homes and addresses by your election signs. We are the ones with those scary guns, We are the ones your children have nightmares about," the letter said in part.
The note goes on to warn that when "we capture" Biden, he will be "severely" beaten "to the point of death," and included a vulgar threat to carry out a sexual assault against Harris.
"Then for the Grand end the [sic] both will be executed on National Television. I would prefer CNN," the letter says.
The Frederick Police Department received an anonymous tip that led them to Reed, who made a "threatening statement" against an unidentified person under Secret Service protection in 2014, according to the affidavit.
While Reed initially denied leaving the letter, which had "warning!!!" in red letters across its top, he admitted to investigators on October 15 that he wrote and left the note, as he was angered at the "political situation," according to the court filing. He told police he left the letter at the first house he saw with Democratic signs.
Reed faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
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