Left: JD Vance, Vice President of the United States during the Opening Ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, San Siro, Milan on Friday, February 6, 2026. (Press Association via AP Images). Right: Shannon Mathre (Lucas County Corrections Center).
An Ohio resident finds himself behind bars after reportedly making threats against Vice President JD Vance during the latter’s visit to the northwestern part of Ohio.
Shannon Mathre, aged 33, faces charges for allegedly threatening to kill and harm a successor to the presidency, as confirmed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a recent announcement on Friday.
In addition to these charges, Mathre is accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. Authorities discovered these “child sexual abuse materials” while probing the alleged threat to the Vice President’s life.
A federal indictment reveals that on or around January 21, 2026, during Vance’s visit to northwest Ohio, Mathre allegedly declared his intent to “find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”
Though it remains uncertain where this threat was made, a statement by Attorney General Pam Bondi indicates that DOJ officials believe the threat was issued online.
“Our legal team is actively pursuing this heinous threat against Vice President Vance,” Bondi stated. “While you might think you can hide behind a screen, you cannot escape the reach of the Department of Justice.”
Mathre was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents on Friday and made his first appearance before a federal judge the same day. He remains in jail before a detention hearing scheduled for Feb. 11.
If he is convicted of the threat charge, Mathre could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined $250,000. He faces 20 years in prison and another fine of $250,000 if found guilty of the “child sexual abuse materials” charge.
Vance is from Ohio, having represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2025.
