A North Texas man, 35-year-old Robert Wilson King, has found himself in legal trouble after threatening violence against ICE agents on social media. He was duly charged in federal court with transmitting an interstate threat. The announcement came from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham. Following his arrest, King stood before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver and has been detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for tomorrow, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
In what can only be described as a troubling social media trial on March 29, King allegedly threatened, "If I see ICE agents in my neighborhood I’m opening fire. It’s time to stop being p****** and put the second amendment to work. ICE are not real cops, they are a secret police force with no real legal authority. Kill them." and followed up with a subsequent post where he wanted to “double down” on this violent promise. The complaint reveals other instances where King's language tipped towards violence, as detailed by the Department of Justice press release. King faces a possible five-year federal prison sentence if convicted, yet it's critical to remember that in the justice system's eyes, he remains innocent until proven guilty.
Acting U.S. Attorney Meacham publicly commended the joined forces of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, and McKinney Police Department for their collaboration in handling this matter. The team's effort once more emphasizes law enforcement's commitment to tackling threats of domestic violence. The case, now in the hands of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas Brasher and Tiffany H. Eggers, is moving through the courts, and an Unsealed Complaint.
