A teenager in Warren, Michigan, is suspected of sending threatening e-mails to President Bush using a computer in the Edgar A. Guest Branch of the Warren Public Library. The first e-mail, which contained a threat to kill the President, was sent November 12. The U.S. Secret Service was notified, and investigators were able to trace the source after a second message was sent November 19.
Agents reviewed computer sign-in sheets to determine who was logged on at the time the threats were made. In both instances, the records allegedly identified the user as a 17-year-old student at a local high school. Investigators did not release the boy’s name or the name of the school.
“He was the one who had logged in,” Warren Detective Sgt. Gary Johnson said in the November 27 Macomb Daily. “He literally stated he was going to kill the president.” Police have not yet determined whether the threats were serious or a prank. Because the suspect is a juvenile, he will face state charges if police decide to enforce them this week.
The Secret Service would not comment on the case to the media. However, the USA Patriot Act, enacted October 26, 2001, allows federal agents, including the Secret Service, greater latitude in examining public-library records.
Posted December 2, 2002.