Spokane man charged with threatening Florida community Trump held rally says case is 'misunderstanding'
May 14-A 74-year-old Spokane man, accused of threatening a large Florida retirement community President Donald Trump had recently visited, called his case an "unfortunate misunderstanding" in a jailhouse interview with The Spokesman-Review Thursday.
Robert L. Martindale faces a felony charge in Spokane County Superior Court of threats to bomb or injure property after authorities say Martindale repeatedly called the Villages, Florida, earlier this month, making threats involving "semiautomatics," using profanity and complaining about Trump's visit to the community a day prior. He also faces at least one felony charge in Florida related to the case.
"I'm gonna say one thing about my court case," Martindale said from the Spokane County Jail. "It's an unfortunate misunderstanding and I hope it gets resolved."
Martindale, who wore yellow jail clothing, referred all other questions about his case to his attorney, Derek Reid, who could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
The alleged threats come at a time of significant political violence in the U.S.
Trump has been the subject of three assassination attempts the past two years. A bullet grazed his ear at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in 2024, a man planned to kill Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club a couple months later, and a gunman is accused of attempting to assassinate Trump at the White House correspondents' dinner last month.
From the jail Thursday, Martindale said he's mostly lived in Spokane since he retired 12 years ago after about 40 years in television production, including a stint as a photojournalist at KREM 2 News from 1979 to 1983.
KREM 2 told The Spokesman-Review Thursday it could not confirm whether Martindale worked for the news outlet because it could not immediately access employment records.
Martindale said he covered the trial of Kevin Coe, known as the "South Hill rapist," the Washington Legislature and Aryan Nations in North Idaho during his time at KREM.
"I had such tremendous memories from the four years I was here," Martindale said.
Martindale came to Spokane in the late 1970s from Richmond, Virginia, where he worked at a TV news station. He said he has a journalism degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
After Spokane, he worked at other news stations, including ABC News in Washington, D.C., for almost two years, he said.
Martindale said he then took a job as the chief photographer at AARP at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and worked there 20 years, retiring as director of television and postproduction. He moved back to Spokane shortly after, citing his love for the Northwest weather and landscape and fond memories from his KREM 2 days.
"I loved it here," Martindale said.
He said he's now a beta tester for software companies.
Martindale said he's divorced after a 30-year marriage. He has one son who lives in New York.
According to court records, employees at the Villages Sales and Information Center reported receiving 11 threatening phone calls from a number, later traced to Martindale in Spokane, in a short period the morning of May 2.
"Me and my friends are getting our semiautomatics and are coming to blow you guys up because of that scumbag Trump," Martindale allegedly told one of the employees.
"Tell everyone we've got guns and ammo," he allegedly told another employee.
The employees reported the threats to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office in Florida. The sheriff's office contacted the U.S. Secret Service since some of the threats referenced the president and blowing things up, according to court documents.
The Secret Service and sheriff's office said the phone number from which the alleged threats were made belonged to Martindale, who lives in Browne's Addition, court documents say.
Spokane police officers contacted Martindale at his residence a few hours after the alleged phone threats. There, Martindale admitted to police that he made about 10 calls that day to the Villages.
A Spokane police news release said Martindale stated something akin to, "It's not a threat, but a warning."
Martindale "ranted" to police about Trump pardoning criminals who attack police, according to court documents.
Martindale also made threats against Mar-a-Lago, Trump's golf resort in Florida, according to the release.
When asked Thursday, Martindale declined to say whether he had any physical or mental problems, worrying the question was too closely associated with his case. He also didn't want his photo taken for the story.
He was booked into the Spokane County Jail the day he made the phone calls to Florida. He made his first appearance two days later in Spokane County Superior Court, where Court Commissioner Tami Chavez maintained Martindale's bond at $10,000, calling the alleged threats "quite serious."
Martindale, who has no prior criminal history, posted bond shortly after and was released from jail, according to court documents.
His freedom was short lived after Sumter County decided to charge Martindale in relation to the alleged threats. Spokane police officers arrested Martindale on the Florida felony warrant on May 8, three days after his release, at his home, court records show.
His new bond was set at $250,000, but Chavez reduced the amount to $25,000 at a first appearance for the warrant Monday in Spokane.
Martindale is set for trial in July for the Spokane charge. He is scheduled for a fugitive hearing in relation to the Florida case on May 29 in Spokane.
Martindale remained in jail Thursday night.
"I just hope it gets resolved," he said. "I would like to go home so that I can work on my defense and work on the future."
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 11:44 PM.