CLAREMORE, Okla. — Rusty Goodman is in jail, just as he has been since the day after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election.
Claremore’s Police Chief and his officers say Goodman made threats against President Trump’s supporters, some of which were terroristic.
WATCH: Attorney seeks release of Claremore man, accused of threatening Trump supporters
“Our community is safer with Mr. Goodman in jail,” Claremore Police Chief Steve Cox said.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Mitchell Garrett is calling for Goodman’s release on bond, calling his extended sentence an injustice.
“What we’re most concerned with today is Rusty’s civil rights, being violated by him being denied bond in its entirety,” Garrett said, “So that he may come out into the community, work with his wife, protect her health, and prepare an effective defense for his case.”
His wife, Debra Redmon, told reporters she has stage three colon cancer and relied on her husband for care.
“It’s been pretty tough. I started this medical journey in ‘23, and he has been my sole caregiver, up until his arrest,” Redmon said.
Since Goodman was arrested, Redmon’s son has been taking care of her, she said.
A probable cause affidavit has a laundry list of accusations against Goodman, saying he called a realtor a “Trump Nazi,” accusing Goodman of having altercations with neighbors who support President Trump, and telling one neighbor he was “on assignment” to shoot or kill every person he saw wearing a red hat—those, among other allegations.
According to the affidavit, when Goodman spoke with officers, he denied the threats, but compared Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Bond is usually reserved for defendants who do not pose a public safety threat. Goodman’s defense attorney said he poses no threat to the public and is being held as a “political prisoner.”
“It’s offensive to say that Mr. Goodman is a political prisoner,” Rogers County District Attorney Matt Ballard said in response, “These charges have been brought, to ensure the safety of the public, and to ensure that people who threaten supporters of our president, are held accountable.”
Attorneys say they are taking their case to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
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