Nicolai Haugsted
FBI reveals disturbing details about an alleged threat to shoot Trump at a packed football stadium.
Donald Trump’s public appearances come with extraordinary security arrangements, particularly at major events where thousands of spectators gather in the same location.
For federal authorities, even a single threatening message posted online can be enough to trigger an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
That was apparently the case ahead of a highly anticipated college football game in Alabama earlier this month. The president was scheduled to attend the October 10 matchup between Alabama and Georgia in Tuscaloosa when investigators became aware of a disturbing Facebook comment.
According to RadarOnline via. federal court documents obtained by RadarOnline, a 36-year-old woman had allegedly threatened to shoot Trump if he appeared at the stadium.
The message prompted an investigation involving the FBI, Secret Service and local police, eventually leading authorities to a woman identified as Megan Lorraine Utz.
A Facebook comment catches the FBI’s attention
The investigation began after a Facebook news report published on October 2 discussed Trump’s upcoming appearance at the football game.
According to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Alabama, Utz responded to the report using an account registered under the name Kase Utz.
Her alleged message was explicit.
“He’s not allowed in my stadium! I’ll put a bullet through him if he dares.”
Investigators treated the comment as a potential threat against the president rather than dismissing it as an angry social media remark.
Federal authorities subsequently began examining the account to establish who had written the message.
According to FBI Special Agent Ryan Windham, investigators compared photographs associated with the Facebook profile against Utz’s Alabama driver’s license.
Distinctive tattoos on her neck reportedly helped establish a match.
Investigators also obtained information from Meta, Facebook’s parent company, which they said supported their identification of the account holder.
Investigators launch a search across Alabama
By October 6, federal agents had begun searching for Utz in Florence, Alabama.
FBI investigators worked alongside Secret Service personnel and local police officers to locate the woman.
Their first stop was a Salvation Army facility where Utz had reportedly been staying.
Staff members told investigators she had recently departed in a light-blue pickup truck and might be staying elsewhere in the area.
Authorities eventually discovered the vehicle parked outside a residence on Midway Street.
Officers received permission to search the property, but Utz was not found there.
Another person subsequently directed investigators toward a location approximately two blocks away.
Florence police ultimately arrested Utz on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant involving harassing communications.
Investigators also seized her cellphone for forensic examination as part of their inquiry into the alleged presidential threat.
Suspect gives unusual explanation during questioning
According to the affidavit, Utz acknowledged writing the Facebook message when investigators questioned her.
However, she reportedly offered an explanation that had little to do with an actual intention to harm Trump.
“I just wanted my phone scanned . . . and the next time that this happens, somebody always gets hurt, and someone always dies,” she allegedly told investigators.
Utz reportedly claimed that malicious software had compromised her cellphone and that hackers had gained access to her online accounts.
She suggested that her actions were intended to persuade authorities to investigate the alleged intrusion.
The affidavit does not establish whether her claims about hacking were accurate.
Investigators also documented previous encounters involving Utz and law enforcement, including a harassment complaint connected to an employee at a restaurant in Guntersville.
Those earlier allegations were included in the investigative material but do not establish that she intended to carry out the threat against Trump.
Federal prosecutors bring two criminal allegations
The investigation resulted in a federal criminal complaint filed on October 8, just two days before the president’s scheduled appearance at the football game.
Utz was accused of violating two federal criminal statutes.
The first concerns threats against the president of the United States, while the second involves transmitting threatening communications through interstate commerce.
FBI Special Agent Windham stated in the affidavit that investigators had established probable cause to believe Utz committed both offenses.
However, probable cause is a legal threshold for bringing criminal proceedings, not proof of guilt.
The court documents cited in the report do not establish that Utz possessed a firearm, had traveled toward the stadium or had taken concrete steps to carry out the alleged threat.
