CHICAGO (WGN) A federal judge has granted release to a Downers Grove man accused of inscribing the names of notable U.S. political figures on rifle bullets and sharing violent posts on social media. He has been released on a $10,000 secured bond and placed under home confinement with electronic monitoring.

Michael D. Stover, 33, faces charges of using interstate commerce to issue threats. The federal case against Stover is based on his frequent threats towards elected and law enforcement officials on social media platforms from February 2025 to July 2025.

On Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman rejected the government’s plea to detain Stover until his trial. He appointed Stover’s mother as his third-party guardian, with whom Stover must reside, and set several conditions for his release.

Under the conditions of his pretrial release, Stover is restricted to leaving his mother’s house only for preapproved appointments or court-related activities. He is prohibited from using internet-enabled devices, owning weapons or destructive devices, and might be mandated to undergo medical or psychiatric treatment, among other requirements.

During the detention hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Peabody insisted that the criminal complaint demonstrates that Stover is a threat to public safety.

“This case clearly constitutes a true threat,” Peabody stated. “For months, he has been threatening to act; I believe there is a substantial risk he will carry out his threats.”

Peabody called the case “deeply concerning” and referenced allegations made in the criminal complaint, including continued threats despite warnings from federal authorities that charges could follow.

“In the middle of all of that, there’s a deeply concerning domestic incident in which he threatens to kill his wife and throws weapons at the door, according to the pretrial report,” Peabody argued.

Stover was ultimately released without charges following that incident after his wife declined to pursue anything further, but Peabody used the incident as an example to argue the government’s position that Stover should be kept behind bars.

WGN-TV obtained body-worn camera footage from the May 8 incident involving Stover at his apartment in Downers Grove. Similar to allegations detailed in federal court documents, Stover is captured on video dwelling on his fears over political figures wanting to kill him and his wife.

“My issue is when somebody tries to tell me I’m not in danger, but I’m very much in danger. Like, I’m in danger. You saying I’m not in danger doesn’t mean I’m not in danger,” Stover told responding officers.

The incident happened on the same day Illinois State Police had approved a request by Downers Grove police and the FBI to revoke Stover’s FOID card due to a series of violent social media posts.

Stover initially blamed childhood trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as being the cause of arguments with his wife, but when an officer asked whether that was what was currently going on, he pivoted and blamed the president.  

“At this particular instance, what I’m worried about, is there’s a man in office who has sworn an oath to defend the constitution and everybody whose decided by oath, and has now decided not only does he have to answer to it, but anybody he decides can go anywhere, and he can say whatever but prove it,” Stover told an officer.

Stover could be heard bouncing from one topic to the next, offering officers a variety of reasons why he was in fear for his life and his wife’s life.

“That’s why I started to bash [expletive] around. I’m like, ‘what the [expletive] I’m not the bad guy here,’” said Stover. “It’s not my fault that some crazy 88-year-old decides that he owns the [expletive] planet and is going to punish anybody who disagrees.”

Stover was placed in custody while officers were granted permission by his spouse to remove weapons from the home, seizing a total of 12 guns, ammunition, and exploding targets, before he was later released.

In court Wednesday, AUSA Peabody argued it was the government’s belief that even with a home confinement order, Stover could still access weapons or internet devices if he wanted to.

Stover’s attorney, federal public defender Jasmine Johnson, argued her client made no attempts to re-arm himself after his weapons were seized, and said the posts he made were months old.

Earlier in the day, Stover’s defense counsel filed a petition for pretrial release. Johnson argued he was not a flight risk and said her client made no indication he planned to act on anything he allegedly wrote.

Weisman called the allegations in the criminal complaint “disconcerting,” but said due to Stover’s lack of criminal history, his family ties in the community, and several other factors, the government failed to prove its argument that there are no mitigating factors that could protect the community from Stover and that he must be detained until trial.

“The issue to me is whether he can be released on conditions and not what is he going to do in the future,” Weisman said. “I find the defendant’s character generally weighs in favor of release.”

Weisman signed off on Stover’s release and the next court date in his case was set for Sept. 19. Neither the FBI’s Chicago Field Office nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois issued a comment on the matter on Wednesday.

Allegations in the case

According to the criminal complaint, it was the United States Secret Service (USSS) Protective Intelligence Division that first caught wind of Stover’s posts on social media.

On Feb. 4, Stover reportedly posted a picture on Facebook showing five rifle bullets with the names of five well-known U.S. political figures written in marker on each, placed on top of two hunting knives.

The complaint did not disclose the names of the individuals whose names were written on the ammunition.

Investigators with the USSS and Downers Grove Police Department went to Stover’s home to interview him regarding the post, which he admitted to making, court documents show. Stover blamed anxiety and PTSD, which he said he was being treated for, and told investigators he was remorseful and would remove the names from the bullets.

According to court records, his posting spree didn’t stop there. The FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received a report in May about threatening messages Stover continued to post—this time from a Bluesky account traced back to him.

One of the suspect’s posts read, “The us [sic] president just said he wants to purpose build concentration camps for his political enemies. Thats not a normal [expletive] thing to do!!! Its war right here and now against this attacker or we die in slavery. Put down your posters and selfie sticks and pick up a weapon!”

In early May, the FBI and Downers Grove police entered a Clear and Present Danger request with Illinois State Police to have Stover flagged for posing an actual and immediate threat of substantial harm to himself or others, and in turn, prevent him from legally accessing firearms.

Court records show ISP granted that request and revoked Stover’s FOID card on May 8. That same day, Downers Grove police responded to the 911 call for a domestic disturbance at Stover’s home.

According to the criminal complaint, Stover’s spouse told investigators he had been extremely irate, was throwing items, and threatened to kill her.

The woman told police Stover took medication for mental health issues, and it had recently run out, the criminal complaint said. She claimed he ranted about being fearful of their safety and began throwing knives and guns at the door and said the government wanted them dead.

After refusing to turn over weapons, court records show police took Stover into custody, and with the permission of his spouse, seized five rifles, a shotgun, six handguns, ammunition, a four-pack of exploding targets, and five rifle rounds with the writing still on them.

Stover again was interviewed by local police and the FBI in late May.

“Stover reported receiving help for his mental-health issues, and he stated that he did not intend to kill anyone but he would in self-defense,” the criminal complaint read. “Stover stated that he did not have weapons but planned to retrieve them once his mental health improved.”

According to the complaint, Stover continued to make posts through July, which included multiple threats about killing ICE agents.

“Abolition is not enough, the goons themselves must be exterminated to the absolute last one. Masks off, photographs taken, then shoot em,” Stover wrote, according to court records.