Virginia Man Arrested After Threatening Congressman's Life Over Marijuana Policy
A Virginia man was arrested Friday and charged with threatening to murder U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor and two of his staffers.
Wallace Grove Godwin, a 69-year-old Virginia Beach resident, made the threats during a visit to Taylor’s office on Thursday.
According to court documents filed in federal court on Friday, Godwin became upset during a discussion about marijuana policy.
Taylor, a 39-year-old Republican, supports legalizing marijuana.
US Attorney: Wallace Grove Godwin Threatened to Kill Rep. Scott Taylor https://t.co/dwo67sCTFz pic.twitter.com/oaXGnhOp87
— lusirusi (@lusirusi3) March 23, 2018
He co-sponsored a 2017 bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.
“Scott is having an event this Saturday. I am going to get my shotgun and do something about this. I will just handle this myself,” Godwin said.
He then pointed to two staffers and said, “You two are next.”
Taylor was not at the office at the time, according to court documents.
Godwin has had at least two “aggressive interactions” in the past with Taylor.
He visited Taylor’s private residence in 2017 and had an encounter with the lawmaker outside of his home.
Godwin also visited Taylor’s congressional office and yelled at staff members.
Godwin’s faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of threatening to murder and assault a United States official.
He is set to appear in federal court in Norfolk on Friday afternoon.
A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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