Washington State

74-year-old Spokane man arrested on suspicion of Trump-related threats

May 3-The Spokane Police Department has arrested a 74-year-old man suspected of making felony-level threats against a Florida town and a hotel owned by the president of the United States.

Robert Martindale, of Spokane, was taken into custody and booked into the Spokane County Jail on Saturday at the request of federal agents and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office in Florida, according to a news release from the department.

Secret Service agents and the sheriff's office connected Martindale to a phone number used to make threats in several calls to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida, as well as to the retiree town of the Villages, where the president held a rally Friday. Officers believe Martindale was upset about the visit to the town, according to the release.

Martindale admitted to calling the town several times and told Spokane law enforcement "it's not a threat but a warning," the release states.

Martindale was arrested on suspicion of making threats to bomb or injure property, a Class-B felony. He remained in the custody of the Spokane County Jail as of Sunday afternoon.

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