HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A series of disturbing social media posts and phone calls with Secret Service agents led to a Kansas man behind bars facing federal charges for threatening to harm President Biden. The man had been en route for several days to Washington D.C. to, in his own words, "Lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation."
According to court documents, on Jan. 26, Scott Ryan Merryman of Independence, Kansas was interrogated and subsequently arrested in Hagerstown, Maryland for communicating threats to U.S. Secret Service agents and the president. No weapons were found during a search of Merryman's vehicle but he did have a loaded magazine on his person.
A day earlier, Merryman had notified the Independence, Kansas Police Department to say he was on his way to see the president, court documents say. By Tuesday, Jan. 26, Merryman was on the phone being interviewed by USSS Special Agent Greg Tiano, where he denied his "serpent" threat referred to the commander in chief. He reiterated that he was on a "God-led journey" to speak with anyone at the White House who would listen.
After multiple phone interviews with agents, Secret Service located Merryman in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Hagerstown and interviewed him again, a Department of Justice release says. Merryman again stated he was heading to Washington to "cut off the head of the snake," which he says referred to Lucifer and/or the devil, not the president.
Merryman made numerous comments to agents about God, being guided by God, cloaked in the 'blood of the lamb' and eventually stated he was "coming for" the Secret Service agents, according to a statement by the agents on scene.
After the USSS agent confirmed with Merryman that he was threatening a federal agent by saying "I have a bullet with your name on it," he was taken into federal custody. Affidavits from agents involved are included in the charging documents.
According to the DOJ, if convicted, Merryman faces a maximum sentence of five to seven years in federal prison.
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