Winthrop Harbor Man Arrested for Threatening Former President Trump

Trent Schneider, 57, of Winthrop Harbor, was arrested Monday at his home by U.S. Secret Service agents with assistance from the Lake County sheriff’s SWAT team and local police after a federal complaint said he posted an Instagram video threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and others. In an Oct. 16 video prosecutors say he said 'I’m going to get some guns' and 'you Trump… should be executed,' and they allege he reposted the clip several times and added a caption referencing a Nov. 4 house auction after losing his home. A Florida resident reported the post, the complaint was unsealed, and Schneider was charged with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person, a federal offense that carries up to five years in prison; he was ordered held pending a detention hearing later this week. Reporting and court filings note prior contacts with federal agents, earlier state charges including a 2022 police pursuit, and that he was found unfit to stand trial in 2023. Officers reported removing what appeared to be rifles from his property during the search. The Secret Service said it investigates all threats to protected persons and praised the swift, cooperative action of federal and local partners.