Police: Manhunt Underway for Arizona Sex Offender who Threatened to Kill Donald Trump at Border Visit; UPDATE: Suspect in Custody

Update: The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office reports that the suspect is now in custody. 

The original article continues below.

***

An urgent manhunt is underway for an Arizona sex offender who allegedly threatened to assassinate former President Donald Trump during his Thursday visit to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ronald Lee Syvrud — whom the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office described as a 66-year-old white man who stands at six feet tall, weighs 220 pounds, and wears glasses — allegedly made the unspecified threats on social media, the Daily Mail reported. 

A press release from the sheriff’s office revealed that Syvrud, whose last known address is in Benson, has multiple open warrants in Wisconsin for DUI and failure to appear in court, as well as in Graham County, Arizona, for hit-and-run and failure to register a sex offender:

A 2023 mugshot that police provided shows that Syvrud has light-colored eyes, white hair, and a mustache. 

While Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels did not say what specific threats against the former president were allegedly made, he told the Daily Mail that security around the border in Sierra Vista, where Trump is set to speak, has been ramped up, as it is “an open venue.”

The alleged assassination threats come just six weeks after an attempt on Trump’s life was made by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

Defiant: Bloodied Trump Pumps Fist to Crowd After Possible Shooting at Rally

C-SPAN

While Trump suffered a minor ear injury after a bullet grazed him, audience member Corey Comperatore was fatally shot in front of his family, and two other men were wounded by the gunfire.

Records that the Daily Mail viewed show that Syvrud was previously a registered Democrat and has a long rap sheet — including a 2000 conviction for second-degree sexual assault of a child. 

“We have zero tolerance for any kind of threats or intents of violence, so we’ll find him. He’ll go to jail,” Dannels said. “He’s a registered sex offender here in Cochise County, and we were looking for him. He’s out of compliance as part of his violations. So we’re looking for him on that.”

“We’re going to arrest him on that. But also the fact his pulse was obviously directed toward this event. So we want to talk to him about that,” the sheriff added.