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Press Release

Milford Man Charged with Threatening Federal Law Enforcement Officer

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jean Pierre Njock, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that HAMILTON CLARK SMITH, 57, of Milford, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with threatening a federal law enforcement officer.

Following his arrest, Smith appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained pending a bond hearing that is scheduled for January 18.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on January 10 and 11, 2023, Smith sent a series of threatening text messages to a Deputy U.S. Marshal, including threats to harm and kill the Deputy U.S. Marshal, and to harm the Deputy U.S. Marshal’s family.  In addition, on January 11, 2023, Smith called the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center in Virginia and made a statement threatening to kill the Deputy U.S. Marshal.

The complaint charges Smith with making interstate threats, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and with threatening a federal law enforcement officer, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.

Updated January 13, 2023

Topic
Violent Crime