A Florida man, Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, of West Palm Beach, was arrested and charged with felony intimidation, drug possession, and smuggling contraband in a county detention center after allegedly threatening the life of President Donald Trump on Facebook.
A tip was called in to the FBI National Threat Operations Center late Sunday, reporting Atkins was making violent threats against the president on Facebook. A Palm Beach detective found “disturbing” posts, including statements such as “Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King and Trump – unfortunately, one is still alive” and “I’ve been banned from X because I said ‘I hope and pray someone kills him. We haven’t had an assassination in years’.”
Atkins was arrested near one of his homes at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and officers found three bags of cocaine in his pocket at the time of the arrest. While being interviewed, he admitted to writing the Facebook posts but claimed he was joking. However, authorities said that making threats, even jokingly, is not acceptable in today’s climate.
The Secret Service is investigating the case to determine whether there will be federal charges. The FBI was also involved in the investigation. Atkins’ bond was set at $5,000 for the drug charges, but bond was denied for the threats against Trump.