A rural Mountain Home man charged with making more than 40 threatening calls mostly aimed at one CNN news anchor will undergo a psychological evaluation, according to his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Mark Cooper.
Thirty-nine-year-old Benjamin Craig Matthews, who made a short appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday, will be evaluated to determine if he is mentally fit to proceed in his case and to be held criminally responsible for his acts. Until the evaluation is done and the report received by the court, all activity in Matthews’ case will cease.
The calls Matthews was alleged to have made were laced with racial slurs and references to the newsman’s dead body being cut up in small pieces or swinging from a tree. There were also references to pipe bombs and other threats of physical injury or death.
The newsman was listed only as DL in the probable cause affidavit. The CNN staff directory lists only one on-air employee with those initials — Don Lemon, a prime time news anchor. Lemon is black.
According to the affidavit, Matthews made multiple calls a day to CNN’s Atlanta headquarters during a period beginning Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 last year. Baxter County Sheriff’s investigators worked with Atlanta police and traced the calls to a cellphone registered to Matthews.
Investigators say audio recordings indicated the same person made the calls. An individual familiar with Matthews listened to the recordings and positively identified him as the one making the calls.
In addition, Matthews is said to have made calls to MSNBC, the office of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, Planned Parenthood and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. In addition, Matthews is said to have made calls to the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels, the adult film star, who, at the time of the calls, had filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump.
Investigators say the persons and organizations receiving the unwelcome calls pegged Matthews on the political spectrum as being far right wing.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI