By BRETT ROWLAND | THE CENTER SQUARE
The man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course had been arrested more than 100 times.
A judge noted Ryan Wesley Routh’s long criminal record in an order to detain Routh ahead of his trial.
“The Defendant has a lengthy criminal history with over a hundred arrests, including convictions for multiple weapons charges and a conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” the judge wrote in the order.
Even before federal prosecutors charged Routh, 58, with the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, the judge wanted Routh to remain locked up while awaiting trial.
The judge said no set of conditions would assure Routh’s attendance at trial and protect public safety if he was released before trial. The judge based that decision on multiple factors, including “the nature of the current charges, the nature of additional charges that might be added, the weight of the evidence, the Defendant’s prior criminal history involving a conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction, and the Defendant’s recent travel to foreign countries.”
The judge referred to a Pretrial Service Report that noted Routh had recently traveled to both Taiwan and Ukraine.
In his 2023 book, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” Routh wrote that Iran was free “to assassinate Trump.” The book said Trump’s decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal was a “tremendous blunder.” Routh referred to Trump as a “buffoon” and a “fool” for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
On Tuesday afternoon, federal prosecutors indicted Routh for attempted assassination. Before that charge was filed, Trump had urged federal prosecutors to let the state of Florida prosecute Routh.
Routh also faces charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, assaulting a federal officer and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
