Wake DA drops state charges against man accused of threatening Trump
The Wake County District Attorney’s Office dropped charges against a South Carolina man who allegedly wrote on his car that he was going to kill President Donald Trump, court records show.
Daniel Rodney Swain, 41, was charged with communicating threats against the President on April 30, The News & Observer previously reported. An Apex car wash attendant called 911 to report the threats written on Swain’s BMW, according to a federal complaint.
The Apex Police Department charged Swain on April 30 with possession of methamphetamine, resisting a public officer and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Swain still faces the federal charge. If convicted, he could face up to five years in federal prison, The N&O previously reported.
The state charges were dropped on May 4 because Swain was taken into federal custody, court records show.
“It is not unusual for the State to choose not to move forward in cases in which the U.S. Attorney is prosecuting an individual,” Wake DA Lorrin Freeman told The N&O in a text message Friday. “Judicial efficiency drives this practice.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Wake DA drops state charges against man accused of threatening Trump."
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