Left: David Cherry (Indiana State Police). Right: Elon Musk speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)
A 28-year-old Indiana man is accused of posting threats toward billionaire and Donald Trump’s right hand man Elon Musk.
David Allen June Cherry is facing a count of intimidation, a felony, the Indiana State Police said in a Facebook post. The investigation began early Tuesday morning when authorities in Texas contacted their counterparts in the Hoosier State about an X account tied to Cherry that allegedly made threats toward Musk earlier this month.
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Cops arrested Cherry in Clarksville, a town along the Indiana-Kentucky border, without incident. Police took Cherry in for questioning at the state police Sellersburg Post and then transported him to the Harrison County Jail where he is being held without bond. Detectives requested and obtained a search warrant for Cherry’s home in Palmyra where hey confiscated an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, ammunition, and a ballistic vest from the residence, per cops.
The press release did not say specifically what Cherry said in his threats directed toward Musk. It’s also unclear if Cherry intended to carry out the alleged threat. A probable cause arrest affidavit was not immediately available. According to an Indiana defense attorney, level five intimidation involves a threat of using a deadly weapon. It carries up to a six-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
Musk, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, has seen his public profile skyrocket with his support of Trump. He now heads up the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which seeks to cut wasteful spending. But the effort has been met with lawsuits and concerns from Democrats and others that Trump has given Musk “unchecked” power. A judge on Tuesday rejected a request from 14 Democratic states seeking to obtain a temporary restraining order to stop Musk and DOGE from obtaining federal data and firing employees.
