VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A 69-year-old Virginia Beach man has been arrested for threatening to murder Congressman Scott Taylor (R-Va.).
According to court documents, Wallace Grove Godwin visited Rep. Taylor's office in Virginia Beach on Thursday.
Wallace Grove Godwin
After becoming frustrated during a discussion about marijuana policy, Godwin allegedly made the following statement to a staff member:
“Scott is having an event this Saturday. I am going to get my shotgun and do something about this. I will just handle this myself.”
Godwin then pointed at two staffers in the room and stated, “You two are next.”
The discussion between Godwin and those at Taylor's office was about marijuana policy in the state of Virginia.
Rep. Taylor was a cosponsor of a bill last year that would end the federal prohibition of marijuana.
Court documents also reveal this isn't Godwin's first aggressive interaction with Rep. Taylor. In 2017, Godwin visited Rep. Taylor's residence and interacted with him outside the home. He also visited the Virginia Beach office once before and yelled at congressional staff members.
Godwin has been charged with threatening to murder and assault a United States official. He made his initial appearance at the Norfolk federal courthouse Friday, was appointed a public defender and will next be in court on March 27 around 2:30 p.m. for a bond hearing.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
