Posted on 09/16/2024 5:23:39 AM PDT by Red Badger
The man in custody in connection with what is being described as a second attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump was vocal about U.S. support for Ukraine and has a long criminal and civil court history, including a conviction for possessing a machine gun.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was taken into custody after Secret Service agents fired shots at him at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, three senior law enforcement sources said. In 2002, court records show, he was convicted of possessing a weapon of mass destruction — a machine gun.
In that case, a man named Ryan Routh, 36 at the time, allegedly led authorities on a vehicle chase before he holed up at a roofing company in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to an account by the Greensboro News & Record.
A person named Ryan Routh resided for decades in North Carolina, property records show. Most recently, a Ryan Routh lived in the small coastal community of Kaaawa on Oahu’s eastern shore in Hawaii. Authorities there did not immediately respond to an inquiry about any possible contacts with Routh.
After the 2002 arrest, authorities said they found the suspect in possession of a fully automatic machine gun, according to the Greensboro News & Record. The arrest coincides with North Carolina criminal court records that include Routh's conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
Records also show convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen property and hit-and-run. In those cases, which included misdemeanor convictions for violations such as resisting an officer and driving on a suspended license, the defendant received a suspended sentence and parole or probation.
There is no record of time spent in state prison related to those cases in the early 2000s.
Court records show more than 100 criminal counts have been filed against Ryan Routh in North Carolina, most in Guilford County, which underlies Greensboro. The exact outcome of each case was not immediately clear.
The court records for a person named Ryan Routh also show a 2003 divorce, as well as multiple civil judgments after contractors and individuals sued a roofing company he helped run.
Routh told the publication Semafor last year that he was director of a group he called International Volunteer Center as part of his attempts to support Ukraine's war against Russia.
Routh spoke of his frustration with Ukraine over what he said were roadblocks to admitting foreign fighters, including Afghan commandos, who either volunteered or were available to join Ukraine's war effort.
“Ukraine is very often hard to work with," he told Semafor. "They’re afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy."
In an interview with Newsweek in 2022, Routh said he was 56 at the time and that he was from North Carolina and had flown to Ukraine from Hawaii. He complained about U.S. leadership as it related to Ukraine and urged greater support for the country from the U.S. government.
"This conflict is definitely black and white," he said. "This is about good versus evil."
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, after Trump's term in the White House. Trump has promoted a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election and has refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to win its war against Russia. He has also expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
There was no immediate indication that Trump's stance on Ukraine motivated Routh's alleged actions Sunday.
It also appears Routh, while he was living in Hawaii, made several small contributions to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, including 19 payments in 2019 and 2020 in amounts from $1 to $25, according to Federal Election Commission records. ActBlue did not immediately respond Sunday night to an emailed request for comment about the donations.
On Sunday, Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Dave Aronberg told MSNBC that the federal government is taking over prosecution in the West Palm Beach case, with the U.S. Justice Department expected to file any charges.
He argued that a defendant would not have to open fire for the case to include a charge of attempted assassination.
Aronberg said it was his understanding that Routh was “lying in wait” for Trump before Secret Service agents spotted him. Routh had aimed at the agent who fired at him, Aronberg said; the exact chronology of what took place is still unclear.
Routh was “pretty quiet” and “pretty compliant” after a Martin County sheriff’s traffic unit took him into custody on Interstate 95 one county to the north of Palm Beach, Aronberg said.
Dec 16, 2002
An armed man was arrested Monday morning after barricading himself in a business during a three-hour standoff, police said.
Ryan Routh, 36, was arrested without incident at 1 a.m. Monday at United Roofing, 1735 W. Lee St., Greensboro police said.Routh was pulled over about 10 p.m. Sunday during a traffic stop, police said. But he put his hand on a firearm and drove to United Roofing, where he remained barricaded inside, police said.
Routh was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction, referring to a fully automatic machine gun. He was also charged with resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving while license revoked.
As opposed to a semi-automatic machine gun???
😁....................
I went to a machine gun shoot some years back. You could buy ammo for any gun you wanted to shoot and the owner would supervise you as you fired the weapon.
I got to shoot a MAC 10, a British Lanchester, a Swedish K Model, a Thompson, a BAR, an AK-47 and finally an M2 .50 cal. At that point I ran out of ammo money...
The MAC was hard to control; a long burst would result in shooting holes in the sky.
The Lanchester was a pussycat, slow-firing with hardly any recoil. If you ran out of ammo it would make a good club.
The K Model was easy to make hits with and my favorite among the subguns. I could imagine shooting jackrabbits with it.
The Thompson was a bit of a disappointment because I had three stoppages while emptying its 20-round magazine. Still, I was glad to handle one.
The BAR: like a dream come true for someone who had watched numerous episodes of Combat! as a kid. Full auto .30/06, y’all!
Didn’t like the AK. Not very controllable or comfortable to shoot even when firing short bursts. Maybe I just dislike ugly commie guns.
Ma Deuce, now that was an experience! Ammo was armor-piercing and I was shooting at an old ‘70 Eldorado. The bullets were passing through it and kicking up dust from the earth berm on the far side. Wished I’d brought more $$$...
“UNREGISTERED” machineguns regardless of caliber or configuration are illegal ... and as of 1986, BATF is not allowed to issue new registrations.
All of which, of course, is repugnant to the Constitution.
ADD UKRAINE TO YOUR LIST, PLEASE.
UKRAINE IS A TOTAL BIDEN-HARRIS FUBAR!
They're both classified as Class III weapons and the stamp process is the same for both the silencer and the auto rifle.
I recently took possession of my first silencer. It took over five months from the time I first applied for the stamp until the silencer finally arrived in the mail.
Finger prints, passport photo, ATF forms, approval from local law enforcement.....
The merchant I purchased it thru was great. They guided you thru the whole process, providing links to the govt. and sending you the finger print kits.
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