TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— A Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) has been filed in the arrest of Robert Bennett, the Terre Haute man arrested on Monday for intimidation of an elected official.
According to court documents, on April 7, a detective with the Indiana Capitol Police was informed by another member of the Indiana State Police that a man had been threatening and harassing Indiana State Representative Jim Lucas (R-Ind., 69th district). The officer provided the detective with two Facebook screenshots made by a profile with the name Rob Bennett. Later that same day, the detective contacted Jim Lucas to obtain additional information on Bennett. Court documents state that Lucas sent an email with an additional Facebook screenshot and a voicemail not previously shown to the detective.
The PCA has listed several Facebook comments left by Bennett:
- “The left is gonna drop your traitor (expletive). That’s what’s gonna happen.”
- One day we are gonna meet, and you won’t enjoy it.”
- One day soon, we will be celebrating your obituary, (expletive) traitor.”
The PCA also contained the contents of the voicemail left for Representative Lucas. The voice mail read:
“Hey, Jim, you (expletive) coward. You know, posting anti-Semitic crap quoting Nazi leaders is not exactly Christian and it’s not exactly American and it’s not exactly something the people of Indiana agree with. And I can tell you now you traitor (expletive, expletive) we will drop your (expletive, expletive) before we deal with Nazi propaganda on your webpage, you (expletive) traitor (expletive). Now you are within driving distance of me, I can be there in two hours and I will tell you something else you (expletive, expletive) we will not deal with Nazi (expletive). If you wanna test me, go ahead. You’ll (expletive) find out exactly what gun laws are for, won’t ya. I will promise you one thing, we will (expletive) bury your Nazi (expletive) before you make one more (expletive) Nazi post. You got it? Are we understanding each other? Because I can tell you now, you (expletive, expletive), Nazism is not gonna happen and its not gonna happen in our government and its not going to happen in Indiana. And it’s not gonna be quoting Joseph Gerbel, and it’s not gonna be (expletive) quoting Hitler. You piece of (expletive) MAGA (expletive). You go on (expletive) all you want, but you are not gonna be posting Nazi crap. I can promise you that, and you won’t be doing it living long.”
According to the PCA, this evidence was enough to garner probable cause for the arrest.
