Maryville Man Indicted for Communicating Threats to a Congressman’s Office
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 21, 2010 |
KNOXVILLE, TN—A Maryville resident, Eric Robert Henderson, 27, was indicted today by a federal grand jury sitting in Knoxville, Tennessee, and charged with two counts of telephonically communicating threats to injure another person. The indictment alleges that, on September 18, 2010, and September 19, 2010, Henderson telephoned the office of United States Representative Phil Roe in Washington, D.C., and threatened to injure others during the phone calls.
An arrest warrant was issued for Henderson after the return of the indictment and special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested him this afternoon without incident in Blount County, Tennessee. An initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in Knoxville.
Upon conviction, each count exposes the defendant to a term of imprisonment of up to five years and a $250,000.00 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Services. Assistant United States Attorney Cynthia Davidson will represent the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.