Updated at 5:19 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Secret Service was in Lewis County yesterday investigating a threat against the president.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rob Snaza said a phone call was made about three weeks ago to a cell phone with a Washington state phone number belonging to a person who lives in Washington D.C.
Snaza said deputies worked with the federal agents yesterday locally to track down the phone that made the call. He described the content only as “statements made, with comments against the president.”
“We found it was juveniles who made a prank phone call,” Snaza said. From Napavine, he said.
Snaza released few details, other than the two boys live in the Napavine and Chehalis areas.
He said the case was turned over to the United States Secret Service, who had a talk with the youngsters. He said he didn’t believe they would be going to jail.
“I think they learned their lesson,” Snaza said.
Assistant Special Agent Bob Kierstead, at the Seattle field office of the Secret Service, confirmed this afternoon it didn’t appear any federal charges would come out of the case.
“Typically we don’t release a lot of information on ‘protective intelligence’ cases,” Kierstead said. “The Secret Service takes every threat seriously and we investigate every threat.”
He would not reveal the content of the phone call.
The federal law enforcement agency, besides its original mission as investigators of counterfeit currency, provides protection to the president, the vice president and certain other persons. It also has a electronic financial crimes task force, Kierstead said.
Asked if information about the phone call came through the previously secret gathering by federal authorities of millions of Americans phone records for national security, Kierstead said he can’t speak a lot about investigative techniques.
“It was pretty routine,” he said.
The information came from a private citizen to law enforcement who then contacted the Secret Service, he said. Snaza revealed the recipient of the call was a woman who has a spouse in the military.
Kierstead also declined to share how many threats against the president the agency investigates in a year.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Im betting the poor”half blind” kid is real thrilled at having a friend like you on his side. Good job.
I know the kid that reported it to the police. He is one of the nicest, kindest person I’ve ever met. He’s half blind and his douche of a brother who can’t stay off method and out of jail bought an AR-15 and apparently gained intel on obamas schedule. The person that reported it was doing it for the sake of his brothers safety and the presidents. And they refuse to believe him even though his life has been threatened by his brother over it. In all honesty I believe the concerned informant. His bro is psycho!
If the FBI had found out, they would’ve offered the boys guns and plane tickets. Then busted them and claim they’d foiled a terrorist plot.
Really, what WAS said? Did a citizen really report it to police? If it was just kids pulling a prank, did she really think that they could pull it off, just to have the police say no big deal because a little talking-to led to “learning their lesson”? Hmm, leaves much to be desired….
Stupid