A Downers Grove man who allegedly kept bullets in his home scrawled with the names of political figures was charged Friday with posting a series of increasingly violent social media messages declaring “war” on President Donald Trump and threatening to shoot immigration agents on sight.
Michael Stover, 33, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of making threats over interstate commerce, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. He was arrested Friday morning, and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Weisman dressed in a blue T-shirt, telling the judge he works in “air conditioning.”
Prosecutors are seeking to keep Stover locked up pending trial as a danger to the community. Weisman set a detention hearing for Wednesday. His court-appointed attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Stover’s arrest came as the Trump administration was preparing to deploy about 300 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal resources to the Chicago area, with the Naval Station Great Lakes in the north suburbs acting as a headquarters for the operation.
According to the charges, Stover caught the attention of federal officials in February when the U.S. Secret Service learned he’d posted a photograph of five rifle bullets — each with a first name of a “well-known” U.S. political figure written on it in black marker — sitting on top of two hunting knives.
In an interview at his home, Stover told agents “he had anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder” and was sorry for the post and would “rub the names off of the bullets,” the complaint alleged.
In April, however, Stover made more violent posts on his Bluesky account, this time aimed at Trump, according to the complaint. “The us president just said he wants to purpose build concentration camps for his political enemies,” one post allegedly read. “Thats not a normal (expletive) thing to do!!! Its war right here and now against this attacker or we die in slavery. Put down your posters and selfie sticks and pick up a weapon!”
A month later, Downers Grove police went to Stover’s home following a domestic disturbance call and seized five rifles, a shotgun, six handguns and the rifle rounds that still had the names of political figures on them, the complaint alleged.
Stover’s wife told police during that incident that her husband takes medication for mental health issues but it had “recently run out,” according to the charges. Stover then then started ranting “about his fear for their safety, began throwing knives and guns at the door and stated the government wanted (them) dead.”
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No charges were filed at that time. The complaint alleged that Stover’s social media threats picked up once again in July, this time with a focus on immigration.
“Yes, we should be killing Ice agents on sight,” he allegedly wrote in one Bluesky post, “what the (expletive) else do you do to hostile armed forces kidnapping your people?”
The final post cited in the complaint was from July 21, seven weeks before Stover’s arrest by the FBI.