The would-be assassin accused of trying to kill Donald Trump smiled and laughed as he made his first federal court appearance where he was hit with gun charges on Monday.
Cops also released a new photo of suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh grinning with his stomach exposed after he was arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida when fleeing the scene where he made an attempt on the former president’s life.
The 58-year-old is accused of pointing an AK-47 at the Republican presidential nominee through a fence while he was playing a round of golf at the Trump International Golf Club on Sunday.
Trump, 78, was unharmed and rushed to safety by Secret Service in another close call less than two months after he was shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh wore black prison scrubs and had his hand and feet shackled as he walked into the Paul G Rogers Federal Courthouse on Monday morning.
The hearing was eight minutes and Routh was charged on two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
It’s unclear where Routh obtained the rifle, especially since it is not a firearm that is available for purchase in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the gunman accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday, appeared in federal court appearance with his hands and feet in shackles on Monday. Pictured: Police released on Monday an image of Routh’s arrest after he was able to flee 50 miles from Trump International Golf Club
A courtroom sketch shows a slender-statured Routh in a dark prison uniform as he’s charged with two crimes
He is facing up to 20 years for the initial two charges.
The charging documents released on Monday reveal that Routh was perched outside of Trump’s golf course for nearly 12 hours on Sunday before fleeing the scene.
The cell phone of the construction worker was tracked in the wooded around around the course starting at 1:59 a.m. on Sunday through 1:31 p.m.
This new information suggests that Routh was staking out the location and somehow had advance knowledge that the former president would be golfing there on Sunday.
Routh will face arraignment in two weeks.
Courtroom sketches were released Monday afternoon showing Routh in his first court appearance.
The drawings show the slender 58-year-old in his dark prison uniform.
One sketch shows a team of three in suits surrounding a growning Routh as they appear before the judge at the Paul G Rogers Federal Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after they spotted the muzzle of his AK-47 poking through a fence at Trump International Golf Club while the Republican nominee was playing a round.
Routh was arrested in Martin County on Sunday, about 50 miles from the scene of the golf course shooting.
The suspect provided routine information to court officials during the Monday hearing.
Those in the room report that Routh spoke in a soft voice and said he makes around $3,000 per month. He says he has no savings, real estate or assets beside his two trucks, which are located in Hawaii and he claims are worth about $1,000.
Routh says he sometimes helps support his 25-year-old son.
He did not enter a plea for Monday’s charges in part because he does not yet have permanent legal representation.
During a press conference right after the court appearance Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder stoked questions on whether Routh was involved in a conspiracy.
‘How does a guy from not here, get all the way to Trump International, realize that the former president of the United States is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity?’ the sheriff said while speaking with local media.
‘Is this guy part of a conspiracy, a lone gunman?’ he went on.
‘If he is a lone gunman, President Trump is that much safer because we have him,’ Snyder said. ‘If he is part of a conspiracy then this whole thing takes on a very ominous tone.’
At another point, Snyder said: ‘This is a once in a lifetime event. How many people get a shot off at the former president of the United States? The poor guy has already been shot once and then for that suspect to come into this county.’
Snyder compared himself and his team to the Dallas police who caught President John F. Kennedy’s assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
Routh was smiling and laughing as he arrived at the court house on Monday
Routh was charged with two counts – possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number – and is set for arraignment in two weeks
A February 2010 booking mugshot of Routh provided by Guilford County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina
He also said that Routh seemed caught off guard when they found him and claimed he was driving with the flow of traffic.
‘I think he may have thought he got away with it,’ the local sheriff said.
‘He couldn’t have known there was a witness who really did the right thing,’ he added.
‘He was just driving himself back to where he came from.’
He added that there is no knowledge so far of Routh having any links to Martin county or any Florida community near Trump’s golf club.
Routh could face up to 20 years in prison total for both charges –a maximum of 15 if convicted of possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and five-years for the second charge.
His bond hearing is set for September 23 and a probable cause hearing – or arraignment – is scheduled for September 30.
On Sunday, law enforcement in Palm Beach along with the FBI held a press conference where they shared images and details of the plot by Routh.
Images revealed Routh had a backpack and bag hanging from the chain link fence near hole six of the golf course. He also left behind a GoPro camera, his AK-47 style rifle and ceramic layered bulletproof body armor.
West Palm Beach Sheriff Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds up an image of Routh’s backpack, bag, GoPro and AK-47 style rile left outside Trump International Golf Club on Sunday when he fled the scene when Secret Service opened fire
The gunman was positioned two holes ahead of where Trump was golfing on Sunday when Secret Service shots were fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and present the most ‘vulnerabilities,’ according to those familiar
The charges are the most preliminary and more can be added throughout the trial and investigation.
The suspect was not charged Monday with making threats against a former president or candidate for president, which itself carries a five year maximum sentence that could be lengthened since he was also allegedly wielding an AR-15 rifle and made an attempt on the former president’s life.
Part of Routh’s rap sheet in North Carolina includes 2002 ‘weapon law violations’ and ‘terrorist threats,’ according to public records. As well as a three-hour standoff with law enforcement in North Carolina.
When Routh was 36-years-old in 2002, he was convicted for possessing a weapon of mass destruction.
He was arrested after a standoff with police where he barricaded himself inside a local roofing business in Greensboro after speeding away from a traffic stop with a firearm.
