Federal detainer placed on threat suspect

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A New Middletown man jailed and accused of threatening a mass shooting at the Jewish Community Center on Gypsy Lane will stay locked up while being considered for federal charges.

James P. Reardon Jr., 20, remains in the Mahoning County jail after his arrest Saturday on state misdemeanor charges of telecommunication harassment and aggravated menacing for the threats, which were discovered on the internet.

U.S. marshals placed a detainer on Reardon, informing jail officials they want him held there in anticipation of possible federal charges in the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is reviewing Reardon’s case, said spokesman Mike Tobin.

Reardon is accused of posting a video to Instagram on July 11 in which he appears to be firing an automatic weapon, accompanied by the sounds of sirens and screams and a caption reading: “Police identify shooter of Youngstown Jewish Family Center as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.”

New Middletown police serving a search warrant Saturday at Reardon’s Eastwood Drive home found several weapons, including two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and a submachine gun.

Reardon was arraigned Monday in Struthers Municipal Court and is being held on 10 percent of a $250,000 bond. Even if he is able to post bond, he would not be released because of the federal detainer.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has also filed a federal charge against Justin Olsen, 18, of Boardman, which could lead to a federal indictment.

Olsen was arrested Aug. 7 following a monthslong FBI investigation into his alleged online threats against federal officers.

Olsen’s activity on Internet meme site iFunny.com suggests he advocated shooting federal agents and suggested armed resistance as “a viable method of political change.”

Officers who searched Olsen’s Oakridge Drive home found he had access to nearly two dozen firearms, including at least five assault-style weapons and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition owned by his father, Eric Olsen.

A federal magistrate Friday ordered Justin Olsen to be held without bond in the county jail.

Both Olsen and Reardon are being held in administrative segregation, away from the jail’s general population.