A man is due in court Thursday after he was accused of making violent threats toward President Donald Trump in Apex.
Apex police confirmed the United States Secret Service, the SBI, the FBI and a bomb squad all responded to Tidal Wave Auto Spa on Lake Pine Drive on Wednesday afternoon after police said a man made violent political threats. The entire business was evacuated.
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Former Judge Carl Fox told WRAL News the response fit the crime.
"You can believe that if you make threats against the president, there's going to be action taken," Fox said.
Daniel Rodney Swain of Charleston, South Carolina, was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine and resisting a public officer. He is also accused of having a fake license plate.
Swain was traveling from South Carolina to Washington, D.C., when he stopped in Apex, police confirm. It's not known why Swain, 41, was in Apex.
Swain remains in the Wake County Detention Center without bond and is scheduled to face a judge on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Apex police said there is no threat to the public.
The rear window of the suspect's car was covered in concerning messages, including:
- “Tell Donald he is fired”
- “5 dead 5 years”
- “3 Navy, Teacher & Trucker”
While the exact meaning of those phrases remains unclear, Fox says language alone like that may not meet the legal threshold for a threat.
"So it had to be something more than that that he would've had to have said or done, or that they found in his car or at his home…because I suspect there will be a search of his home," Fox continued.
Police said the threats were political in nature, which prompted a "multi-agency response."
This arrest comes as security concerns are already heightened following an attempted attack on the president on Saturday.
"You simply can't cross the line and threaten the life of the president… regardless of what you think of him," Fox said. "You should expect a serious response, and there’s going to be trouble ahead for you."
Customers at the car wash said, regardless of political views, there’s no place for violent rhetoric.
"I just think, especially with everything going on, you have to be careful how you express your opinion,” one customer told WRAL News. “You can definitely do it in ways that aren’t violent."
In a statement to WRAL, Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert wrote:
"I’m aware of the situation involving the incident at the car wash in Apex. The Apex Police Department has responded, and I have full confidence in our officers’ ability to handle situations like this with professionalism and care. As they have indicated, there is no active threat to the community at this time. We appreciate the community’s cooperation as the investigation continues."