Man arrested in Utah says he was driving to Missouri to kill Claire McCaskill
A Utah man arrested after speeding in excess of 130 mph on snowy roads told police he was planning to drive to Missouri to kill former Sen. Claire McCaskill, according to the Deseret News.
McCaskill, a two-term U.S. senator before losing to Republican Josh Hawley in 2018, is most famous now for her work as a political analyst for MSNBC.
The Deseret News reported that George William Stahl, 36, was booked into jail Wednesday, facing charges that include making a threat of terrorism, speeding, drug possession and DUI.
Citing a police affidavit, the newspaper said a highway patrolman first spotted Stahl going 115 mph around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Stahl reached a speed of more than 130 mph with light snow falling, according to the affidavit, before the highway patrol spiked Stahl’s tires.
Stahl had an empty 12-pack of Budweiser beer in his vehicle, along with another partially consumed 12-pack, authorities said. He told the highway patrol he was on LSD, Adderall and beer, and according to the affidavit, “stated that he was on his way to Missouri to kill (McCaskill) if she wasn’t dead already.”
The affidavit also said that Stahl “made several real threats to Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill. He stated that he was on his way to Missouri to kill her several times.”
“Obviously this is not the first time there have been threats, and that is not good,” McCaskill said in a statement to The Star. “But the political temperature is very high right now, which makes it concerning.”
The Star’s Bryan Lowry contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 2:36 PM.
