Man Charged With Threat To Kill Texas House Speaker

Beaumont’s CBS affiliate reports:

Daniel Troy Leblanc, 44, is held on a $500,000 bond set by Justice of the Peace Ben Collins Sr. The judge has ordered that if Leblanc posts bond, he avoid all contact with House Speaker Dade Phelan and wear a GPS ankle monitor.

According to the DPS, on Monday, January 15, Special Agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division arrested Leblanc in Orange County following an investigation into threats made against Phelan on multiple social media platforms.

He’s charged with Terroristic Threat, a 3rd Degree Felony. If convicted, he could face 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. He was extradited to the Jefferson County Jail. The charge was elevated to a 3rd Degree Felony because of Phelan’s position as a pubic servant.

The Texas Tribune reports:

Special agents with state law enforcement arrested Daniel Troy Leblanc, 45, on Jan. 17 after he wrote a Facebook post referencing the Beaumont Republican that read, “RIGHT NOW… ONE SHOT… ONE KILL…2500M AWAY…0230… IN YOUR RIGHT TEMPLE…”

Leblanc’s message was accompanied by a post taken from the campaign page of David Covey, a GOP activist from the area and Phelan’s primary challenger. Covey’s post criticized the speaker’s record on gun control legislation, but Leblanc’s message was a less coherent critique of Phelan.

“IN NO WAY WILL I ENDORSE dade phelan and his fake hidden evil agenda ways. Mr. Covey is a Godly Man who Chose Politics for GODLY REFORMS to be made,” Leblanc’s post read.

The Beaumont Examiner reports:

Leblanc, who operates on a page entitled “D.T. Lbc” and uses the identity as a pseudonym on the Facebook account he created in 2017, opines on array of topics including his individual struggles, the Bible, prophecy, religion, God, Revelation, conspiracy theories, a believed fake moon landing, mark of the beast, judicial system, politics, the environment… the list goes on.

Mandi Leblanc, Daniel’s wife, claimed her husband’s post was not aimed at Phelan or anyone else. She said her husband explained it to her in military wording.

Mandi noted, according to Daniel, the phrase “one shot, one kill” means, “Cut the bullshit, work smarter not harder, do it the fastest most precise route you can…,” adding that, “He’s talking about AI, (Elon) Musk, Baphomet and all the evil that’s in the world.”

An Orange County, Texas, man was arrested by special agents from the @TxDPS‘ Criminal Investigations Division after making threats against Speaker @DadePhelan https://t.co/AKF8fexc9X

— KVUE News (@KVUE) January 30, 2024