Ryan Routh charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump
This story was updated to add new information.
WASHINGTON ? Ryan Routh has been indicted for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Justice Department announced Tuesday night.
The eccentric drifter was charged with the attempted assassination of a political candidate and other crimes.
“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
More: Judge detains Ryan Routh after prosecutors say Trump stakeout was an 'assassination attempt'
Routh, 58, was already facing two gun-related charges after authorities said he pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sept. 15 while the former president and 2024 Republican nominee was playing there.
He is being held without bail.
“This alleged attempted assassination of the former President at his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
Loose ends of a would-be killer's life
Investigators have been pulling at the loose ends of Routh's life since he was arrested fleeing the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club after a Secret Service agent opened fire on a man pointing an SKS rifle through the fence line.
On Monday prosecutors said Routh had been stalking the Trump golf course for a month, and revealed they'd found a note written months before his arrest that began "Dear World," in which he described his actions as "an assassination attempt."
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“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” said the letter. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
The letter was in a box that Routh dropped off at the home of a witness who contacted authorities after he was arrested. The witness told investigators Routh left the box at his residence several months ago, the Justice Department said.
The dragnet also ensnared the alleged sniper's son. Oran Routh of Greensboro, North Carolina, was charged Tuesday with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography after investigators searched his tablet.
Routh's case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the federal case charging Trump with hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
More: Secret Service admits 'mission failure' in July Trump shooting
Routh's was the second alleged attempt on Trump's life in two months. On July 13, a 20-year-old sniper shot the former president in the ear and killed a rallygoear in a burst of shots during a Trump campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania before he was killed by Secret Service agents. The two incidents have placed the Secret Service under intense scrutiny.
In addition to the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and weapons counts, Routh is charged with assaulting a Secret Service agent.
At his detention hearing Monday, Routh submitted a copy of a 1991 article in the Greensboro, North Carolina, News & Record that said he was given an award by the local chapter of the International Union of Police Associations. The award, which resembled an Academy Award, sat on the mantle in his living room.
The article described Routh chasing a suspected rapist and later helping police in the investigation. He had heard a woman screaming after she was raped in an office building near his home. “I was happy to be at the right place at the right time,” Routh told the paper.
Despite the past laurels, Routh was ordered detained until trial.
He faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Routh charged with attempted assassination of Trump