Rapper, Reese Alexander Sullivan Arrested and Charged with Making Terroristic Threats In His Lyrics. He Rapped About Harming the President and Bombing the Senate.

 

In Arkansas, a 20-year-old individual and self-proclaimed rapper has been apprehended by the police for allegedly making terroristic threats in his music. These threats included expressions of violent intentions such as harming children, targeting churches, school shootings, and even an assassination plot against the U.S. president.

Reese Alexander Sullivan found himself in police custody on November 2, following a lead provided to the FBI in August. An informant who came across Sullivan's music raised concerns, prompting further investigation.

The content in question comprised nine videos featuring alarming threats, including racially charged statements, plans to bomb specific churches, harm children, engage in school violence, and detailed strategies for committing school shootings, among others. Additionally, the videos suggested an intent to harm his grandmother and orchestrate an attack on a public event.

On Halloween, a search warrant was executed at Sullivan's residence in Arkansas. During the search, Sullivan was at his workplace and was informed that he was not being arrested at that time. The search, however, did not yield any explosives or firearms.

The 20-year-old asserted that his videos were intended to be humorous and part of a persona he had assumed since he was 17. Sullivan denied harboring any hatred towards the groups mentioned in his songs, denied any involvement in child abuse, school shootings, or any intent to harm the president. 

He also claimed not to possess firearms, explosives, or related items. Notably, he had not disclosed his creative endeavors to his employer or parents.

The police did not uncover any history of abuse or trauma during their interview with Sullivan. He faces charges of felony terroristic threats in the first degree and was held on a $50,000 bond. Sullivan was subsequently released on November 4 and is scheduled to appear in Benton County Circuit Court on December 11. His legal representation is provided by public defender Jay Scott Saxton, who has yet to respond to Law&Crime's request for comment.

It's worth mentioning that these charges come shortly after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, a legislation aimed at restricting the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court proceedings. 

The bill, initially proposed by Democrats in California's General Assembly, aims to prevent courts from considering certain factors that may introduce bias when weighing the value of creative expression as evidence against the risk of unfair prejudice. This legislation marks a significant development in the legal treatment of artistic expression in the United States.

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