Federal prosecutors say a Northfield man turned a barrage of threatening emails into a criminal case, leading in today's indictment that now has him facing serious federal charges. The grand jury indictment names 44-year-old Jayson Tennant and accuses him of cyberstalking and two counts of making interstate threats after a series of messages allegedly vowed to “shoot up” the FBI’s Cleveland office and kill police officers in Ohio and Florida. Prosecutors say the emails started circulating in 2025 and escalated this spring. According to court filings, Tennant admitted sending at least some of the messages. An arraignment date has not yet been set.
According to emails vowing to 'shoot up' the FBI office, the indictment says Tennant sent a message on May 21 to a Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy threatening to kill the deputy and boasting about plans to attack the FBI office in downtown Cleveland. Charging documents say Tennant also accused Sagamore Hills officials of orchestrating conspiracies and threatened a Sagamore Hills police officer. Prosecutors describe the emails as part of a broader pattern of harassment that began in 2025.
Federal Charges And Prosecution Context
The counts against Tennant – cyberstalking and interstate threatening communications – are the kind of charges federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Ohio routinely use to tackle online harassment that spills across state lines. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cleveland has brought similar cases in partnership with the FBI, seeking prison time and supervised release in prosecutions where repeated electronic threats targeted individuals or law enforcement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio. Recent sentencing actions have followed that playbook in cases involving threatening communications sent to officers and private citizens.
Investigative Timeline And Local Ties
Court records cited in court records detailing the threats say Tennant visited the Sarasota County sheriff’s office in 2025 to discuss an investigation and began sending threatening emails that same year. The indictment alleges the messages grew more extreme over time, eventually including explicit violent language and targeting officials in Sagamore Hills. Filings list Tennant’s age as 44 and show that no attorney has yet appeared on his behalf in the federal case.
Charges, Statutes And Potential Penalties
Federal law treats sustained online harassment that crosses state lines as a serious crime. The cyberstalking statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, covers electronic conduct that causes substantial emotional distress or fear, according to the Legal Information Institute. Threats transmitted across state lines can be charged under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), which in many cases carries penalties of up to five years in prison per count, per the Legal Information Institute. Any eventual sentence would depend on Tennant’s conduct, criminal history, and the harm alleged in the case.
Tennant’s case remains pending in federal court in Cleveland. An arraignment has not been scheduled, and the charges are still only allegations that prosecutors will have to prove at trial. So far, prosecutors and the FBI have not released a detailed public statement beyond what appears in the charging documents filed in court.
