John Jefferson
Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump over the weekend at his Florida golf club, was charged with two gun-related counts in federal court on Monday morning.
Routh, 58, stood before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe at the federal courthouse in West Plam Beach, shackled and wearing a dark prison uniform where he was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
It arrives just one day after law enforcement officials identified Routh as the man who aimed an AK-47-style assault rifle at the former president at Trump National Golf Club while Trump was playing a round of golf.
Possession of a firearm while a convicted felon carries a minimum sentencing of three years and a maximum of 15 years. It carries a maximum fine of up to $10,000.
Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum sentencing of 365 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, if the individual is found to have removed or altered the serial number it is punishable by up to five years in prison with a $5,000 fine.
Judge McCabe has set a detention hearing for September 23 and an arraignment for September 30.
Law enforcement officials say Routh was hiding in bushes, just a few hundred yards away from the former president, when Secret Service agents spotted the butt of the gun through a fence.
They began to shoot toward the suspect, causing him to flee the scene in a vehicle. The gunman left behind the firearm with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera at the golf club.
Local law enforcement officials tracked down the Nissan SUV Routh fled in, thanks to a witness who took a photo of the license plate, and apprehended Routh on I-95. He was then taken into custody.
It is unclear what the motive of the attack may have been but the Federal Bureau of Investigation is treating it as an “attempted assassination.”
Those familiar with the investigation told The New York Times that law enforcement officials discovered the serial number of the firearm was partially scratched which makes it more difficult to determine where it originated. It is being sent to the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia for further analysis.
Routh has a prior criminal record, first dating back to at least 2002 when he was arrested after being pulled over, allegedly putting his hand on a firearm and then driving off to barricade himself in the premises of a business triggering a three-hour stand-off, according to a review of state court records.
In 2010, Routh was convicted of possession of stolen goods, and sentenced to probation. Further details of the charges are unclear.
Routh was the owner of United Roofing, according to public records that list a company email in his name.
Tina Cooper, a former employee of Routh’s told The Independent she recalls Routh’s stand-off with police in 2002, claiming her former boss was known for doing “stupid s***”.
Cooper recalled that Routh “did some stupid s*** down here, and… got away with some of it,” but that he was a “good guy” who did “what he could” for other people.
The former employee did not recall Routh being overly political but posts on his now-suspended social media profiles indicate he once supported Trump but became critical of the former president in recent years.
Oran Routh, the son of the suspected gunman, told the Daily Mail, that his father did not like Trump but that he did think his father was a violent person.
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