- The Routh family is facing legal troubles
- The lewd photos were stored on his phone
- Father and son, if they do meet, it won't be soon
The Routh family is facing legal troubles
Ryan Routh, the son of the man arrested in connection with the second apparent assassination attempt on former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been arrested on federal charges of possession of child pornography.
Investigators say they discovered hundreds of media containing child pornography during a search of an Oran Routh residence in Guilford County, North Carolina, on Saturday in connection with an investigation unrelated to child abuse[1].
He was subsequently charged with two counts of receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography.
"The "unrelated investigation" concerned Routh's father, who remains in custody after a judge on Monday ordered him detained pending trial, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina confirmed to ABC News.
The lewd photos were stored on his phone
Investigators said the pornography was found on a Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone in Routh's master bedroom and on another Galaxy Note device owned by Routh.
"A review of the SD card on Device-1 revealed that it contained hundreds of child pornography media," prosecutors wrote in their criminal complaint. - These media include videos from a known series of child pornography produced outside the state of North Carolina."
The complaint included graphic descriptions of the videos and a July conversation in which Ms Routh allegedly responded to someone promoting the content for sale.
O. Routh made his first appearance in North Carolina federal court on Tuesday, but, predictably, the child porn aficionado will now have to make frequent visits.
Father and son, if they do meet, it won't be soon
His father, 58-year-old R. Routh, was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number in connection with an incident at the Trump International Golf Club on 15 September. The suspect in the attempt on Trump's life has been charged with attempted murder, US officials said on Tuesday.
On 15 September, Trump was golfing with friends at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a US Secret Service agent noticed a gun barrel protruding from the shrubbery surrounding the fence. After the agent opened fire, a witness observed a man, later identified as Mr Routh, sprinting away. He fled in a car but was soon apprehended on the motorway.
R. Routh was initially charged with firearms offenses. Now he has been charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system, said Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Attorney General Merrick Garland noted that violence against public officials threatens everything the US believes in.
According to court documents, Routh left a note outlining his intentions. It said, among other things: "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am very sorry to have let you down."
If found guilty, Routh faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Trump's life was still under attack in July. Then, during an election rally in Pennsylvania, the former President was shot in the right ear. Shortly afterward, security forces shot the gunman. One person was killed and two others were injured at the rally.
