Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged today in federal court with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and obliterating the serial number on a firearm.
Routh was charged in relation to his apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club near Mar-a-Lago. If convicted on the two charges, the maximum sentence would be 20 years, but additional charges may be brought at a later time.
As reported by CBS, Routh seemed unbothered by the gravity of the situation:
His initial appearance in court was brief, just under 10 minutes. Routh appeared in court in a blue jail-issued jumpsuit and was shackled and handcuffed. His demeanor was very relaxed, despite the gravity of the charges, and he smiled and laughed at times. Federal authorities have five days to determine if there will be bail issues, and another court hearing was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 30.
After Secret Service fired at Routh, he fled the scene in a black, mid-sized Nissan SUV, and was detained by local authorities just after 2pm. One of the Florida officers described the chase and apprehension.
Routh was convicted of a felony gun charge in 2002, when he barricaded himself inside his house painting business with a fully automatic rifle, leading to a three-hour police standoff.
