The second suspect accused of trying to take out former President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach over the weekend has, so far, only been charged with firearm offenses.
58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, of Hawaii, the alleged would-be Trump assassin, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, according to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.
🚨 #BREAKING: Would-be Trump ass*ssin Ryan Routh has been charged with:
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 16, 2024
➡️ Possession of a firearm while a convicted felon
➡️ Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number
Routh is currently NOT facing any charges relating directly to the ass*ssination attempt.
He… pic.twitter.com/n8RgbgNTLt
Routh is currently not facing any assassination-related charges for the attempt on Trump's life. However, additional federal charges may be filed, Fox News reports. For now, the initial charges announced Monday will keep Routh in custody.
Routh reportedly laughed and smiled while making an initial court appearance Monday before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. Routh, wearing jail scrubs and shackles on his wrists and ankles, repeatedly chuckled as the hearing was about to begin, Fox News observed.
A detention hearing has been scheduled for September 23. He will be formally arraigned on September 30.
According to the eight-page criminal complaint, a Secret Service agent assigned to Trump's security detail was walking the golf course's perimeter where Trump was playing and saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. After the agent fired a service weapon toward the shrubbery, a witness saw a man, later identified as Routh, fleeing the scene and escaping in a Nissan SUV.
Sheriff's deputies ultimately apprehended Routh during a traffic stop. The license plate affixed to the Nissan is registered to a 2012 white Ford and has been reported stolen.
A digital camera and a loaded "SKS-style rifle" with a scope were found in the area from which Routh allegedly fled. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and "unreadable to the naked eye." Probable cause statements say that such a rifle is not manufactured in the state of Florida and must have traveled there in interstate or foreign commerce.
Routh, who also allegedly had a plastic bag containing food in his possession, is believed to have been laying in wait for nearly 12 hours.
Routh was previously convicted of felonies in North Carolina for possessing a weapon of mass destruction and possessing stolen goods. Those convictions date back to December 2002 and March 2010, respectively.
The FBI is leading the investigation in coordination with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division are prosecuting the Routh case.
The first offense Routh is facing carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison while the second charge carries up to five years behind bars.
When asked if he was able to afford his own defense attorney or if he needed a court-appointed public defender, Routh said he does not have enough income, only makes about $3,000 a month, has zero savings, and owns no real estate. Routh also told the judge he has two trucks in Hawaii worth about $1,000 each and partially supports his 25-year-old son.