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 man is in jail after allegedly threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance when the federal official was visiting the northwest region of The Buckeye State.
Shannon Mathre, 33, stands charged with threatening to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, a successor to the presidency, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday.
The defendant has also been charged with the receipt and distribution of child pornography, with authorities stating they found the “child sexual abuse materials” as they were investigating the alleged death threat.
According to a federal indictment, “[o]n or about Jan. 21, 2026,” while Vance was visiting northwest Ohio, Mathre stated, “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.”
It is unclear where the defendant made this alleged threat, though a statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi suggests DOJ leaders contend it was 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.
