Wake County man faces federal case after Trump threats, bomb hoax

A Wake County man is facing a federal threat case after prosecutors say he posted Facebook videos in Raleigh threatening President Donald J. Trump, then set off a bomb response at a Raleigh police substation on Greens Dairy Road. Christopher Carnes, 33, is now charged in the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest after a federal complaint was signed June 16.

Prosecutors say Carnes posted several videos in May while in Raleigh, including one that included the threat, “Donald J. Trump, I’m going to kill you.” In another June 6 video, investigators say he referenced pipe bombs and displayed what he described as a “PVC blaster” in the trunk of his car. He also told viewers, in substance, that the government knew he had a live bomb in his car.

The case escalated June 10, when investigators met with Carnes at the Raleigh Police Department. He arrived in the same vehicle seen in the videos, and a canine alerted to the possible presence of explosive materials. Officers searched the car and found PVC pipe and a metal pin, but Raleigh police later said no hazardous devices were found in or around the vehicle. Police charged Carnes with two counts of perpetrating a hoax in or at a public building.

The federal charge alleges Carnes threatened the life of the president under 18 U.S.C. § 871(a), a count that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison if he is convicted. The U.S. Secret Service and Raleigh police are investigating the case, which has now moved beyond a local hoax investigation because it involved threats against the president.

Raleigh police said there was no ongoing threat to the community. CBS 17 reported that East Millbrook Middle School was initially mentioned in the response, though the Wake County Public School System said no lockdown took place. Police also described the Greens Dairy Road site as a Northeast District substation that is not staffed 24 hours a day, a reminder that even a limited public office can become the center of a major emergency response when a threat is treated as real.