North Dakota Man Charged Threatening Obama, Trespassing Historic Site

Ian Patrick Stewart, a 36-year-old man from Williston, North Dakota, faces multiple federal felony charges including burglary, damage to U.S. property, terrorizing, malicious mischief, and threatening to kill former President Barack Obama. Between April 20 and May 13, Stewart allegedly sent threats to Obama and three other individuals via interstate communications. On May 13, Stewart broke into the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site after hours, barricaded himself inside while armed with a fire poker, and threatened a Park Service employee as well as law enforcement officials during a standoff that led to the site's evacuation and closure. Authorities arrested Stewart after the incident, where he also threatened to burn down the fort and destroy its artifacts. Court records reveal Stewart's prior charges include assaulting a highway patrol trooper and threatening a superior court judge. He is currently held at the Ward County Detention Center and is scheduled for trial in October.