The son of a man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course had an outburst inside a North Carolina court, saying his arrest on a child porn charge was motivated by political persecution.
Oran Routh appeared in court in Greensboro on Wednesday for a plea bargain hearing, FOX 8 reported. During the proceedings, Judge William Osteen asked Routh questions in multiple ways before accepting his guilty plea.
Routh reportedly gave long-winded answers that didn’t directly address the questions.
He was then ordered held until his sentencing. Prior to entering his plea, Routh was remanded to the custody of his mother.
When U.S. Marshals tried to take him into custody, he said his arrest was part of a political persecution as he was led out of the courtroom.
His frustration possibly stems from the arrest of his father, Ryan Wesley Routh, who is accused of pointing a firearm at then-candidate Trump as he was golfing on Sept. 15 in West Palm Beach.
Routh allegedly lay in wait for more than 12 hours in the brush with a rifle on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club. A Secret Service agent opened fire after allegedly seeing Routh pointing a rifle through a fence.
Routh fled and was arrested that day. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and assault on a federal officer.
The younger Routh was arrested after federal agents found child sex abuse material during an unrelated investigation into him.
He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography of a child under the age of 12. Other federal charges were dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
