Share and Follow
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 is currently behind bars, accused of threatening the life of Vice President JD Vance during his recent visit to the state’s northwest region.
Shannon Mathre, 33, faces charges for allegedly plotting to harm a presidential successor, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday.
In addition to these charges, Mathre is accused of receiving and distributing child pornography. Investigators reportedly uncovered these materials while probing the threat against Vance.
The federal indictment reveals that on or around January 21, 2026, during Vance’s visit to northwest Ohio, Mathre allegedly declared, “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”
The exact location of this alleged threat remains uncertain, but a statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi indicates that DOJ officials believe it was made online.
“Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance,” Bondi said. “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this 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.