An Ohio man has been convicted of assaulting a Secret Service agent and a sheriff’s deputy while he was being questioned about threats to former President Obama and other politicians. On March 5, 2015, Ronald E. Skelton II, 23, hit Special Agent Matthew Schierloh in the face, breaking his nose, prosecutors said. Skelton also swung at Deputy Todd Shillito, hitting him in the head. The incident occurred while Secret Service agents and deputies were interviewing Skelton at his home about threatening social-media posts he’d written. “After @BarackObama and @HillaryClinton are cooked Heading over to @JebBush to kill him and daddy,” one of his tweets said, according to court documents. Another read: “After I chop up @BarackObama, remember, @HillaryClinton, My ginsu is coming for YOU!” When the officers approached Skelton, he started yelling anti-government comments and was belligerent, according to the DOJ.
Skelton pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2016, but later withdrew his plea and claimed he was insane at the time of the attack, according to prosecutors. At trial, the jury rejected Skelton’s insanity claim. Assaulting a federal agent is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
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