A 28-year-old Indiana man has been accused of making threats against billionaire and Donald Trump’s right-hand man Elon Musk.
David Allen June Cherry is charged with intimidation, a felony, according to an Indiana State Police Facebook post.
The investigation began early Tuesday morning, when Texas authorities contacted their counterparts in Indiana about an X account linked to Cherry that allegedly threatened Musk earlier this month.
Cherry was arrested without incident by cops in Clarksville, a town on the Indiana-Kentucky border. Cherry was detained for questioning at the state police Sellersburg Post and then transported to the Harrison County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
Detectives requested and obtained a search warrant for Cherry’s Palmyra home, where they seized an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, ammunition, and a ballistic vest, according to police.
The press release did not state specifically what Cherry said in his threats to Musk. It’s also unclear whether Cherry intends to carry out the alleged threat. The probable cause arrest affidavit was not immediately available.
According to an Indiana defence attorney, level five intimidation includes the threat of using a deadly weapon. It carries a maximum six-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
Musk, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter), has seen his public profile skyrocket as a result of his support for Trump. He now heads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to reduce wasteful spending.
However, the effort has sparked lawsuits and raised concerns among Democrats and others that Trump has given Musk “unchecked” power.
A judge on Tuesday denied a request from 14 Democratic states for a temporary restraining order to prevent Musk and DOGE from obtaining federal data and firing employees.
