Shawn Richard Christy, a man accused of threatening to shoot President Donald Trump, was arrested and taken into custody on Friday, following a months-long manhunt.
On June 19, a federal warrant was issued for the 27-year-old after he allegedly posted on Facebook that he wanted to shoot Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. Shawn also allegedly threatened to shoot a police chief.
Shawn was found in a wooded area of northern Ohio in Mifflin Township with a knife and a .380 handgun just after 4:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, according to the Citizens' Voice. Shawn was hiding among rocks on a stream bed and attempted to avoid detection, but was found after a police dog picked up his scent. After being apprehended, he was taken to a hospital for an examination.
"We are most pleased that this case is resolved with Mr. Christy safely in custody and headed back to Pennsylvania to face justice," U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio Pete Elliott told Lehigh Valley Live in a statement. "While he may have exhibited a strong determination to avoid capture, I hope he now understands that [the] U.S. Marshals fugitive task forces are resolute and will not stop until they get their man."
He's scheduled to appear in court in Ohio on Monday and will be held in custody, pending extradition to Pennsylvania, where he was living when he made the online threats.
Weeks after he first went on the lam, he returned to his parents' house in McAdoo, Pennsylvania. His mother, Karen Christy, previously told Newsweek that her son told her that he avoided capture by remaining in camouflage. Shawn's father, Craig Kristy, called the Secret Service when his son showed up at their home, but he left before he could be apprehended.
The multistate manhunt conducted by U.S. Marshals, the FBI and the Secret Service, began with Shawn writing a Facebook post with threats to shoot Morganelli and Trump.
"Keep it up Morganelli, I promise I'll put a bullet in your head as soon as I put one in the head of Donald J. Trump. Remember where you came from punk," the now-deleted post from June 12 said.
Morganelli previously told Newsweek that as a politician for three decades, he's received multiple threatening written letters and phone calls. However, he explained that this round of threats received more attention because of his name being lumped in with Trump.
On September 13, Craig received a message on Facebook that he believed to be from Shawn. In the message, Shawn told his father that he shattered his knee during a getaway in Maryland, which slowed him down. He concluded his message with the ominous statement, "Stay safe, I have a mission to complete."
A $20,000 bounty was placed on Shawn and Lehigh Valley Live reported that nearly 100 local law enforcement officers had been searching the Mansfield, Ohio, area since September 17.
"This case represents the true definition of teamwork and dedication to the pursuit of justice," U.S. Marshal for the District of Eastern Pennsylvania David B. Webb told Lehigh Valley Live.
Christy is facing charges for burglary, probation violation, failure to appear for an aggravated assault case, and threatening to harm, injure or kill a police chief, law enforcement officers, a district attorney and the president. However, he will likely face other charges related to the firearm that was in his possession when he was found.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.