An urgent manhunt is underway for an Arizona sex offender who allegedly threatened to assassinate former President Donald Trump during his Thursday visit to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ronald Lee Syvrud — whom the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office described as a 66-year-old white man who stands at six feet tall, weighs 220 pounds, and wears glasses — allegedly made the unspecified threats on social media, the Daily Mail reported.
A press release from the sheriff’s office revealed that Syvrud, whose last known address is in Benson, has multiple open warrants in Wisconsin for DUI and failure to appear in court, as well as in Graham County, Arizona, for hit-and-run and failure to register a sex offender:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2024Wanted Subject / Suspicious ActivityThe Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is…
Posted by Cochise County Sheriff's Office – Mark J. Dannels Sheriff on Thursday, August 22, 2024
A 2023 mugshot that police provided shows that Syvrud has light-colored eyes, white hair, and a mustache.
While Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels did not say what specific threats against the former president were allegedly made, he told the Daily Mail that security around the border in Sierra Vista, where Trump is set to speak, has been ramped up, as it is “an open venue.”
The alleged assassination threats come just six weeks after an attempt on Trump’s life was made by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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Records that the Daily Mail viewed show that Syvrud was previously a registered Democrat and has a long rap sheet — including a 2000 conviction for second-degree sexual assault of a child.
“We have zero tolerance for any kind of threats or intents of violence, so we’ll find him. He’ll go to jail,” Dannels said. “He’s a registered sex offender here in Cochise County, and we were looking for him. He’s out of compliance as part of his violations. So we’re looking for him on that.”
“We’re going to arrest him on that. But also the fact his pulse was obviously directed toward this event. So we want to talk to him about that,” the sheriff added.
