A Maryland man has been charged with threatening the lives of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their supporters, The Hill reports.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, Secret Service agents arrested 42-year-old James Dale Reed after he allegedly left a violent letter at a neighbor's home, which displayed Biden-Harris lawn signs. The handwritten letter read in part:
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 Boogeymen coming in the night.
The letter goes on to spell out detailed, graphic threats against the Democratic presidential nominee and his running mate. Reed allegedly wrote "Grandpa Biden" will be "severely beat" to the "point of death," and threatened to "personally put my Glock 17 to [Harris'] head" after they are captured. The message also included threats of sexual assault against Harris and a televised execution.
"We will not let Biden/Harris turn our country into a communist wasteland," the letter continued. "... For the grand end they (Biden and Harris) will be executed on national television. I would prefer CNN, then every Biden/Harris supporter will understand what the 2nd Amendment is all about. If Biden/Harris want a war, then they will get one."
Reed was identified after the home's security camera caught him leaving the note at the front door. He initially denied writing the letter during an interview with authorities on Oct. 13. He confessed to the crime two days later, after investigators requested additional handwriting samples and his fingerprints.
According to the complaint, Reed has been on the Secret Service's radar since 2014, when he allegedly made a threatening statement against an individual under the Secret Service's protection.
Reed has remained in county jail without bond since Monday. In addition to the federal charge of threatening a major candidate, Reed has also been hit with threatening mass violence and voter intimidation charges.
