Naugatuck Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Republicans; Both Parties Decry Violent Rhetoric
Scott Dyer, 35, of Naugatuck in New Haven County, Connecticut, has been charged in federal court with making interstate threats after allegedly posting threatening comments online. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, Dyer was arrested in October. Prosecutors allege that on October 8 and 9 he posted several comments on a YouTube video, including: "I'm prepared to kill Republicans. Eager to do it actually. I already have targets in my local community selected."
Court documents further allege that Dyer claimed to keep a spreadsheet of hundreds of people, said he was stockpiling hollow-point ammunition, and threatened to go to the Capitol to assassinate an unnamed high-ranking public official. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. He has been released on a $100,000 bond to home confinement with electronic monitoring. The charges are allegations, and Dyer is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Connecticut Public reported on October 19 that the case drew bipartisan condemnation. State Republican Party chair Ben Proto said threats against Democrats and Republicans alike are part of a pattern of worsening political rhetoric, and said a state representative candidate and the candidate's spouse had also received threats. Officials from both parties said they are encouraging more in-person engagement, including town halls, to improve political discourse. (GSM, via the U.S. Department of Justice and Connecticut Public)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：康涅狄格州议会大厦，哈特福德（资料图）。照片：Wikimedia Commons。Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford (file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
