How a Crime Stoppers Tip Derailed a Threat Against Trump in Kansas
An anonymous tip triggered a federal investigation that put a 24-year-old in custody two days before the president's Wichita appearance.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A single anonymous tip to a local Crime Stoppers hotline on Oct. 15 set off a rapid federal response that ended with a 24-year-old Kansas man in custody 48 hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to appear in Wichita, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
The speed of the arrest highlights how local tip networks have become the primary early-warning system for the Secret Service and federal prosecutors tracking threats against high-profile political figures during the 2026 campaign cycle. Jaden J. Read, of Clearwater, was charged Saturday with making threats against the president after investigators traced Facebook comments back to his account, prosecutors said.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport on October 14, 2026, in Bullhead City, Arizona. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Read allegedly posted multiple statements beneath local news articles covering the president’s itinerary. Under a KAKE News Facebook post, he wrote, “Let’s shoot Trump honestly, where’s our shooter? I’m tired of living this money life,” followed immediately by claims that he possessed ammunition, according to charging documents cited by prosecutors. A separate comment thread under a KWCH 12 News article contained further alleged threats, including a claim that he had studied rooftops near the planned speech location.
“IK where your speech will be. Already mapped out roofs around. Finna get kirked since yall couldn’t help him,” Read allegedly posted one minute after his initial comment on the KWCH page, the U.S. attorney’s office said. The specific reference to mapping rooftops mirrors the tactical realities that forced a massive overhaul of Secret Service outdoor rally protocols following the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
THREE COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE FEDERAL CHARGES OVER ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST TRUMP AHEAD OF CAMPUS RALLY
BUTLER MAN’S ONLINE RANTS TO KILL TRUMP END IN GUILTY PLEA AFTER FBI PROBE
MAN ARRESTED AT TRUMP GOLF COURSE AHEAD OF PRESIDENT’S VISIT ALLEGEDLY HAD WEAPONS CACHE
U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on Oct. 5, 2026 in Grand Island, Neb. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Federal authorities have aggressively pursued online threats targeting Trump in recent months. Three college students face federal charges over alleged threats made ahead of a campus rally, and a Florida write-in congressional candidate, William Upham, was arrested after stating the president “must be killed.” In a separate case, a Butler, Pennsylvania, man pleaded guilty following an FBI probe into his online rants about killing Trump, while another individual was arrested at a Trump golf course with an alleged weapons cache.
Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (Evan Vucci, File, AP Photo)
FLORIDA WRITE-IN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE WILLIAM UPHAM ARRESTED AFTER SAYING TRUMP ‘MUST BE KILLED’
Making threats against the president is a federal felony carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Read was taken into federal custody in Clearwater and ordered held pending a detention hearing.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser warned Monday that the First Amendment does not shield individuals who cross into actionable threats. “Political violence and threats of political violence will not be tolerated,” Kriegshauser said in a statement. “The first Amendment allows for robust disagreement but there are constraints. I caution people to stay within the bounds of constitutionally protected speech.”
