The FBI has taken Michael Hoyt, 44, into custody for posing a “current and ongoing credible” threat to the House Speaker. The West Chester Township, Ohio club where Hoyt worked and Boehner is a member was not contacted for comment.
Michael Robert Hoyt, a former bartender at Wetherington Golf & Country Club in West Chester Township, Ohio, has been indicted on charges of threatening to murder House Speaker John Boehner this past fall, WCPO Cincinnati reported.
Hoyt, 44, was indicted January 7 in a plot that police said included poisoning Boehner’s drink at Wetherington Country Club, where Hoyt served drinks to Boehner for more than five years. Hoyt called police on October 29, a week after being fired from the club, and blamed Boehner for his woes, police said.
It appears that Wetherington G&CC officials were not contacted by WCPO for comment on the story. The private club opened for play in 1992 and features an 18-hole, Arthur Hills golf course, athletic complex with two swimming pools, four tennis courts, and yoga classes, as well as private locker facilities for men and women that each include grill areas.
“Hoyt told the officer he was Jesus Christ and he was going to kill Boehner because Boehner was mean to him at the country club and because Boehner is responsible for Ebola,” United States Capitol Police (USCP) Special Agent Christopher M. Desrosiers said. “Hoyt advised he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic and he was going to shoot Boehner and take off.”
Officers said Hoyt told them he regretted not having enough time to put something in Boehner’s drink. It was also discovered Hoyt emailed Boehner’s wife about the plot a day before he called police, Desrosiers said.
The following is an email conversation between Debbie Boehner and Hoyt on October 28, according to investigators:
Hoyt: “Mr. Boehner, I sincerely do not want to embarrass anyone. I am willing to drop all of this if you and Dr. Bob Buring deliver my termination report to me personally, or transport me to a secure location where the three of us can have an honest conversation. If I had any intention of hurting Mr. Boehner, I could have poisoned his wine at Wetherington many, many times. I do not believe I have lied about anything nor exaggerated. This is extremely urgent. Tuesday. Earlier the better. Talk to Dr. Bob Buring. PLEASE!!! We can work together and succeed or …..fail miserably. My phone died. I am at home. I have a dog and cat so please do not bust in. I will leave my lights on inside and out all night. You probably already know where I live.”
Debbie Boehner: “What is this about??”
Hoyt: “Mrs. Boehner, I was fired. I could not email Mr. Boehner directly because of the zip code block on his email. It doesn’t matter anyway. If he took a real interest in anything he would insure his Club was better than the Country, but they are exactly the same and life goes on SSDD. Sincerely, Mike. Mike, your former bartender.”
Hoyt said he started to hear the devil’s voice from the speakers in his car and his radio at home after he was fired. The voices were telling him that Boehner was evil, Desrosiers told WCPO.
Hoyt told investigators he dialed 911 because he believed evil people were going to “come chop him up,” and he was trying to expose Boehner as the devil, according to court documents obtained by WCPO.
Desrosiers said Hoyt also typed an 11-page blog detailing his thoughts about Boehner being the devil. Hoyt emailed it to his father, ex-girlfriend and neighbor. Hoyt also told agents he imagined a scenario where he confronted Boehner about Ebola in front of one of the sports stadiums in downtown Cincinnati. He said he wanted large crowds to be present, WCPO reported.
Hoyt volunteered to be taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation after police confronted him in October. Deer Park police recovered the .380 handgun from his home for safekeeping, WCPO reported.
“Hoyt was visibly upset talking about being fired and about the circumstances surrounding it,” Desrosiers said. “He believes John Boehner and other members of the country club got him fired.”
Police searched Hoyt’s home on Oct. 31 and seized an SKS assault rifle magazine, two boxes of 7.62 ammo, 35 loose rounds, a speed loader and a box of .380 rounds. A notebook containing “John Boehner” and “Ebola” were among other writings found during the search, as well as two envelopes with lists of country club members, WCPO reported.
Boehner told agents he knew Hoyt as the bartender at the club, but did not remember any negative interactions with him. Boehner was in Cincinnati the weekend of November 1-4 to go to a Bengals game and to vote in his district, WCPO reported.
The FBI said Hoyt was indicted and taken into custody because he poses a “current and ongoing credible” threat to Boehner and was in the position to learn his travel and leisure habits. He is currently being evaluated at the Federal Medical Center, Devens, a prison in Massachusetts for male inmates requiring specialized or long-term medical or mental health care, WCPO reported.
Hoyt was sent to the prison on December 16, and was ordered to stay there for no more than 45 days and could be relocated to another facility soon, documents state. He faces the possibility of 30 years in federal prison, WCPO reported.
Boehner’s press secretary Kara Hauck told WCPO Boehner is aware of the situation “and sincerely thanks the FBI, the Capitol Police and local authorities in Ohio for their efforts.”
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