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 Michael Hoyt, who served Boehner at a country club in Ohio and
checked into a psychiatric facility after he was questioned by
police on Oct. 29, was indicted on the charge last Wednesday, court
papers said.
"Speaker Boehner is aware of this situation, and sincerely thanks
the FBI, the Capitol Police and local authorities in Ohio for their
efforts,” his spokesman, Michael Steel, said in a statement.
A description of Hoyt's alleged plot was laid out in an arrest
affidavit filed in federal court on Nov. 6 and unsealed just over a
month later. The case was first reported by a Cincinnati television
station on Tuesday.
Hoyt dialed 911 on Oct. 29 and gave the operator his first name and
asked that his father be told he was sorry.
A police officer checked on Hoyt at his home in Deer Park, Ohio, and
Hoyt told the officer he had lost his job at a country club where
Boehner is a member, court papers said.
"Hoyt advised that he had been fired from his job at Wetherington
Country Club in West Chester, Ohio, and did not have time to put
something in John Boehner's drink," the affidavit stated.
Hoyt also told the officer he was Jesus Christ and was going to kill
Boehner because the speaker was mean to him and was responsible for
the Ebola outbreak, court papers said.
An attorney for Hoyt could not be reached for comment.
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A federal judge last month ordered that Hoyt be transported to a
facility run by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for a psychiatric
evaluation requested by his attorneys. It was unclear on Tuesday if
the evaluation had been done.
Hoyt, the day before he was questioned by police, sent Boehner's
wife a rambling email that said: "If I had any intention of hurting
Mr. Boehner I could have poisoned his wine at Wetherington many,
many times," court records said.
Hoyt, who owned firearms, also told police he planned to shoot
Boehner, court papers said. He experienced a mental health episode
about two years before and stopped taking his medication,
authorities said.
Boehner has held the top leadership position in the House since
2011. He represents a district north of Cincinnati.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, David Bailey in
Minneapolis and Peter Cooney in Washington; Editing by Cynthia
Johnston and Peter Cooney)
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