Man allegedly made threats to kill Pelosi, had weapons, lots of ammo

A Colorado resident who threatened to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week and drove to Washington intending to take part in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, was armed with an assault rifle, handgun and 2,500 rounds of ammunition when he made the threat, according to federal court documents filed Wednesday.

Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. was charged last week with making the threat and illegally possessing a gun and ammunition, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Meredith missed the riot at the Capitol because he had to stop for car repairs during the drive from Colorado, according to authorities.

He arrived in Washington late on Jan. 6, and in a text message the next day, wrote that he wanted to “put a bullet in (Pelosi’s) noggin,” among a variety of other threats, according to the complaint.

Meredith’s ammunition stockpile included at least 320 “armor-piercing” rounds, according to a request for pretrial detention filed Wednesday.

The court record identifies Meredith as a Colorado resident, although the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported he lived in Georgia and drew attention there in 2018 when he erected a billboard supporting the QAnon conspiracy theory. It was not immediately clear Wednesday where in Colorado Meredith was staying or how long he’s been in the state; the offices for the U.S. attorneys in Washington and in Colorado did not return requests for more information Wednesday.

Meredith also threatened to behead people, texting on Jan. 6 that he was “ready to remove several craniums from shoulders,” according to the complaint, which says he has a history of mental illness and regularly uses marijuana, which is legal in Colorado. Meredith also texted about killing the mayor of Washington. He was arrested in a hotel room in Washington on Thursday, and federal prosecutors said Wednesday that he should remain in jail while his criminal case is pending.

“A clearly disturbed, deranged and dangerous individual that fantasizes about committing horrific acts of violence and takes countless steps to carry them out by driving across several states with a trailer stocked with thousands of rounds of ammunition and multiple firearms — including an assault-style rifle — should not remain in the community,” the petition reads. “Pretrial

detention is thus necessary to ensure that the residents and leaders of this community — and any other across the country that is comprised of people against whom the defendant harbors extreme political and racial animus — remain protected.”

Meredith’s federal public defender argued in a court filing Wednesday that Meredith was could not be legally kept in custody because he did not commit a violent crime and does not present a flight risk, among other factors.

“He has no prior convictions,” attorney Ubong Akpan wrote in a court filing. “He has no history of noncompliance. And there is no indication that he has ever sought to flee from any court proceeding.”