A 35-year-old Naugatuck man is facing federal charges after authorities say he posted comments on YouTube threatening to kill Republican Party members and a high-ranking public official, with investigators alleging he had stockpiled ammunition, built custom drones, and kept a spreadsheet listing hundreds of potential targets. Scott Dyer was arrested by the FBI and appeared in Bridgeport, where he was released on a $100,000 bond with home confinement and electronic monitoring.
According to the Hartford Courant, Dyer posted the threatening comments on October 8 and 9. Per the release, he said he was prepared to kill Republicans and had already selected targets within his own local community. The Justice Department described those online comments as threats against political targets, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Spreadsheet of Targets and Engraved Ammunition
Per the release, Dyer said he had hundreds of people listed in a spreadsheet, was stockpiling hollow-point ammunition, and had custom-made drones. He reportedly said he wanted to participate in the public execution of a high-ranking public official and had hollow-point rounds bearing that official's name. Dyer reportedly also said he would travel to the capitol the next day to assassinate the official, though the identity of that official has not been publicly disclosed in court filings.
Dyer appeared in Bridgeport Superior Court on October 13 and faced charges of making interstate threats. He was formally charged under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), a federal felony statute governing interstate communications that carries a statutory maximum of up to five years in prison upon conviction, the Justice Department's filing notes. Dyer was released on a $100,000 bond with home confinement and electronic monitoring.
A High Legal Bar for Online Threats
Prosecuting the case will require clearing a constitutional hurdle set by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2023 ruling in Counterman v. Colorado, which held that in “true threat” cases, federal prosecutors must show at minimum that a defendant acted with reckless disregard as to whether their communications would be perceived as threatening. That standard applies broadly to the kind of interstate threat statute used against Dyer, which federal prosecutors have invoked in recent cases in districts spanning Puerto Rico and Colorado.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan said threats of violence “have no place online or elsewhere in society,” and that authorities would investigate quickly and prosecute those involved to deter behavior, neutralize threats, and ensure public safety. Sullivan also emphasized, in the announcement released Thursday, that a federal criminal complaint is only an allegation and that Dyer retains the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
FBI Says Political Affiliation Won't Matter
FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O'Brien, who leads the bureau's New Haven Division, said public officials should not be targeted because of their position or party affiliation. O'Brien said the FBI New Haven Division is sworn to defend the Constitution and will investigate politically motivated threats and violence to protect public servants, elected officials, and political-party supporters, regardless of the targeted official's or supporter's party.
The investigation is being led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multi-agency partnership that combines federal, state, and local law enforcement resources across more than 200 task forces nationwide, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In Dyer's case, the task force is working with assistance from the Naugatuck Police Department.
A Quiet Naugatuck Borough in the Spotlight
Naugatuck, a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, has a 2020 census population of 31,519, per U.S. Census Bureau figures. The arrest marks a stark contrast to recent local headlines out of the borough, which has otherwise been dealing with more mundane news, including the closure of longtime local eatery G's Burgers, which served Naugatuck for 13 years, and Twin Scoops, which had only recently taken over the space that summer, covered in a recent Hoodline report.
For now, Dyer remains free under home confinement and electronic monitoring while the federal case proceeds.
