Vaccine-Related Threats to Public Official in Oregon Lead to Arrest on Federal Charges, FBI Says

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A 64-year-old Albany man faces federal charges after the FBI said he made threats to an unnamed Oregon public official about the COVID-19 vaccine, according to court documents.

The FBI was notified late last month about a series of threatening messages sent to the official over email and voicemail, the court documents say.

Agents arrested David Scott Ryder on Wednesday on charges of interstate transmission of a threat and stalking, the FBI announced.

“Threats of any kind against a public official are not acceptable in this country,” Kieran Ramsey, special agent in charge for the FBI in Oregon, said in a statement. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to say which official was the subject of the threats.

Among the messages, according to the probable cause affidavit naming Ryder:

“All the people that won’t get your FAKE (expletive) vaccine are the same ones who you will see hang you in a public place for crimes against America. Resign today!!!” Ryder allegedly wrote in an Aug. 19 email to the official. In another email three days later, Ryder said he wanted to “get my (expletive) hands around your neck SCUM!!!” the complaint alleges.

Ten days later, the government alleges, Ryder wrote: “(yes this is a (expletive) threat)” and “Resign today to avoid de***.”



The webform used to submit the messages required users to enter identification information and the emails were sent using the name “David Ryden” and an address registered to Ryder in Albany, the complaint says.

On Aug. 23, Ryder left a 90-second voicemail threatening to kill any police who might come to “see me,” according to the court documents.

The FBI filed an emergency disclosure request with Verizon and traced his location close to the address provided with the emails, prosecutors said. Around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, FBI agents served a search warrant at Ryder’s home, where he was taken into custody.

Several weapons — three rifles and a handgun — along with “hundreds” of rounds of ammunition were discovered at the property, the court documents allege.

Ryder was read his Miranda rights, but admitted to sending the messages, an FBI agent wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

“Ryder said he gets so angry, and that these messages were his outlet,” the agent wrote, adding that Ryder said he would never actually hurt anyone.

Ryder appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in Eugene and was released pending further court proceedings, the FBI said.