Johnathan Trent Thomas, 27, of Linwood, North Carolina, has appeared in federal court on charges of making threats of violence against federal law enforcement officers.
Thomas was arrested Friday, May 16, and remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint and the affidavit unsealed today in court, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a caller, later identified as Thomas, contacted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and threatened to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and CMPD officers if immigration enforcement actions did not stop.
During a second telephone call with a CMPD officer, Thomas allegedly warned that he was coming to Charlotte with armour-piercing ammunition, night vision devices, and body armour to kill law enforcement officers and threatened to “shoot them all” if he observed anyone making arrests.
Thomas allegedly was referencing arrests made previously by ICE federal agents on Albemarle Road in Charlotte.
The affidavit further alleges that Thomas stated that if a police officer pointed a gun at him, he was just going to open fire. Thomas also allegedly said that he would “Swiss cheese” the officers if they were doing the same thing they did before, meaning making arrests.
Thomas allegedly made additional threats to law enforcement, including that he had Tannerite (an explosive) all around his house if the police came, and referenced April 29, 2024, which is the date that four law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in Charlotte, warning that he “could do a whole lot better than that.”
The filed affidavit also alleges that Thomas has an extensive history of threatening law enforcement, including the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and CMPD, and on previous occasions had followed CMPD officers in marked patrol cars while they were attempting to fulfil their official duties.
On Friday, HSI agents also executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence, where they seized three rifles and a handgun.
Thomas is charged with threatening to assault or murder federal law enforcement officers, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
