Additional reporting by Alex Moe and Carrie Dann
House Speaker John Boehner’s office on Tuesday thanked police for their efforts after a report that a bartender who had served the Ohio congressman has been indicted after threatening to poison him.
Michael Robert Hoyt, a bartender at a country club frequented by the House Speaker, was indicted January 7 on charges of threatening to poison Boehner’s drinks.
The story was first reported by Cincinnati news station WCPO.
According to court documents obtained by NBC News, police made contact with Hoyt after an October 911 call. Hoyt, who had recently been fired from his job, told an officer that he was Jesus Christ and that he planned to kill Boehner, adding that he believed the Ohio congressman was responsible for the Ebola outbreak.
He was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. A .380 handgun was recovered from his residence.
Boehner would not comment to reporters about the plot when leaving the Capitol Tuesday night, but his office released a statement thanking authorities.
“Speaker Boehner is aware of this situation, and sincerely thanks the FBI, the Capitol Police, and local authorities in Ohio for their efforts,” said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel. Hoyt was initially charged in November, and the case was unsealed last month. It attracted attention Tuesday when the grand jury indictment was filed. When the charges were initially filed in November, Capitol Police said even though Hoyt was hospitalized, they worried he might be released. In mid-December, a federal judge ordered him to undergo a 45-day mental examination.
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