Man charged with threatening Nancy Pelosi ordered held pending trial

Cleveland Meredith, a North Carolina man charged with threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be held pending trial, Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey ordered Thursday.

Meredith also faces weapons charges. It was revealed in court Thursday that when he was arrested he had two guns, including a 9 mm handgun and a semi-automatic rifle with a scope, along with more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition. The government accused Meredith of sending texts to friends in which he talked about killing Pelosi, D-Calif., and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser.

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Government prosecutors said Meredith drove from Colorado with a trailer full of ammunition, planning to be in Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6 rally, but ultimately his car broke down and he arrived a day late.

Prosecutors allege that Meredith got a hotel room and made threats via text, saying he would shoot Pelosi and Bowser "in the head."

Text fragments were read aloud in court, and in one, sent when he was three and a half hours from D.C., he said, "Three and a half hours from target practice." The prosecution also said Meredith expressed his desire to "burn [Washington] to the ground," and that they believe he is, "under the spell of the Q-Anon ideological conspiracy movement."

Meredith's defense attorney argued that Meredith has no criminal history and that these texts were made in jest, with Meredith even saying as much in some  conversations.

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Ultimately, Harvey sided with the government and said he didn't think he could fashion any combination of conditions that would ensure the safety of the community should Meredith be released.

Meredith will have a preliminary hearing Jan. 28  at 3 p.m.

Cleveland Meredith, a North Carolina man charged with threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be held pending trial, Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey ordered Thursday.