Indiana man charged for threats to Lt. Gov. Beckwith

Dubois County, Ind., prosecutors on Friday charged Joshua Wasson, 24, with several crimes including felony intimidation after he allegedly sent a series of threatening Facebook messages to Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith. According to an affidavit from state police, Wasson in March and April used his personal Facebook account to send profanity-laced messages, including repeated wishes for Beckwith to be assassinated like conservative activist Charlie Kirk. One message included a photo of a t-shirt depicting Kirk’s assassination along with the words “protect your neck,” according to the affidavit.

Wasson also allegedly threatened Beckwith’s family, accused him of being a pedophile, and used racial slurs. When confronted by police, Wasson allegedly admitted to sending the messages and said his purpose was to intimidate Beckwith, according to the affidavit. The lieutenant governor told police he feared for his life. Wasson is considered legally innocent until proven guilty in court. It was unclear on Monday if he had retained a lawyer.

Have there been similar incidents recently? The charges against Wasson came the same day that the FBI arrested a Pennsylvania man for allegedly threatening the lives of a member of Congress, his daughter, and President Donald Trump, according to Pittsburgh news outlet WTAE.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a suspect at large after a central Oklahoma shooting.