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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Josh Funk

Ohio man charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance and possessing child abuse files

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

An Ohio man has been charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance while he was visiting his home state last month. But the man's lawyer said his health makes it unlikely he would have been able to carry out the threat.

In addition to the charge for threatening Vance, prosecutors also charged Shannon Mathre with possessing digital files depicting child sexual abuse that were discovered during the investigation. That second charge carries a much stiffer potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The charge related to the threats could lead to a maximum five-year sentence.

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