FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — The man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump in South Florida last year is set to represent himself as final preparations will be made at Tuesday’s trial meeting.
Except for delays, the selection of ju judges is expected to begin in Pierce Pierce Federal Court on September 8th for the case against Ryan Rouse. US District Judge Irene Cannon signed Louth’s request to represent herself in July, but said court-designated lawyers should remain as standby lawyers.
The trial begins almost a year after prosecutors said they thwarted an attempt by a US Secret Service agent to film Trump while playing golf. Routh, 59, admits that he has not committed any crimes in attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate and assaulting several firearm violations with federal officers.
Prosecutors said Trump was nervous for weeks to kill him when he played golf at his West Palm Beach Country Club on September 15, 2024, before attempting a planting. Before Trump enters his sights, Secret Service agents discover Routh. Officials say Rous targeted his rifle at the agent and he opened the fire, causing Rous to drop his weapon and let him escape without firing a shot.
Law enforcement received help from witnesses who said prosecutors saw the person who notified officers escaped. The witnesses were then flew by police helicopter to the interstate nearby where Lous was arrested, and the witnesses confirmed that it was the person he saw, prosecutors said.
Routh is a North Carolina construction worker and has recently moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Rous spoke to people who listened to dangerous and sometimes violent plans to insert themselves into conflicts around the world, an eyewitness told The Associated Press.
Early in the war in Ukraine, Rous tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested in 2002 for avoiding traffic stops and arresting barricades by officers with fully automatic machine guns and “weapons of mass destruction.”
In 2010, police searched Routh, a warehouse owned by the company, finding over 100 stolen items, ranging from power tools and buildings to kayaks and spa tubs. For both felony cases, the judge told him either probation or suspended sentences.
In addition to federal charges, Rous also pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
