A Jacksonville man is behind bars in Springfield on federal charges for making threats against current President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and former First Lady and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton as well as area law enforcement.
According to a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Secret Service in the Central District Federal Court of Illinois on August 24th, 39-year old Adam R. Mouser of the 500 block of Brooklyn Street is alleged to have threatened President Joe Biden’s life in posts to Twitter on August 10th and August 11th and also allegedly threatened to shoot Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton on August 9th. Mouser then allegedly posted he would shoot law enforcement and their families, including their children if they came to arrest him.
According to the complaint, an officer from the Jacksonville Police Department and a Secret Service agent made contact with Mouser at his residence on August 23rd where Mouser allegedly admitted to posting the threats and that he stood behind the content of the tweets. Mouser claimed that both officers were attempting to silence him and deny him his First Amendment rights to Freedom of Speech. Mouser then allegedly posted on Twitter after the visit verifying that he had admitted to law enforcement he had made the threats, and that he believed federal agents would come back to his home at night and kill him and his family.
Mouser appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught on Thursday and was deemed to not be a threat to the public or to himself and was going to be released on a $10,000 recognizance bond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Seberger objected to Mouser’s release and requested a stay on Mouser’s release. According to the written motion on Friday, Seberger has asked that Mouser’s release be revoked due to the nature of the charges and also pending a search of Mouser’s residence for weapons by the Secret Service. Seberger also argued in the written motion, based on Mouser’s tweets, that he is also a threat to law enforcement should he be released.
Mouser remains held at the Sangamon County Jail on federal hold pending a ruling on the rehearing of pretrial detention.