Background: Supporters arrive before then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File). Inset: Cody Smith (West Virginia State Police).
A West Virginia resident is facing allegations of threatening the lives of supporters of former President Donald Trump as well as agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Law enforcement records from Harrison County, examined by Law&Crime, indicate that 20-year-old Cody Smith has been charged with making terroristic threats. He was taken into custody on Thursday.
The investigation was initiated on January 19 when the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office alerted the West Virginia State Police about a series of threats. Authorities report that Smith had uploaded videos where he explicitly stated his intention to harm others.
In these videos, Smith reportedly contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), declaring his plans to “attack and kill ICE agents,” as detailed by WBOY, an NBC and ABC affiliate in Clarksburg. Additionally, CBS affiliate WDTV reported that he allegedly threatened the individual who answered his call.
As the investigation progressed, officials discovered Smith’s social media posts that extended beyond threats to law enforcement. He allegedly expressed a wish to “murder Trump supporters and or war supporters or service members willing to bootlick,” and also indicated he had intentions against the former president himself.
Smith was apprehended and placed in the North Central Regional Jail in Greenwood, with his bail set at $75,000. He has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, as reported by WVNews. Under West Virginia state law, if convicted, Smith faces a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.
Harrison County is located in northern West Virginia, not far from the state’s border with Pennsylvania.
