Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison After Pleading Guilty to Threatening to Kill Law Enforcement Officers

TOLEDO, Ohio - Aron McKillips, 30, of Sandusky, Ohio, was sentenced to 41 months in prison by Judge James G. Carr, after pleading guilty to interstate communication of threats and unlawful possession of a machine gun.

McKillips pleaded guilty to the offenses in court on April 9, 2024. According to court documents, from September 2021 to July 2022, McKillips made at least five online threats to harm or kill law enforcement officers. In one such threat, he submitted a photo he took from his residence while aiming a semi-automatic rifle at an officer who was parked in a police vehicle further down the street who was there to assist residents on an unrelated matter.

Additionally, McKillips unlawfully possessed a machine gun, specifically, a drop-in auto sear that could convert an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle into a fully automatic machinegun. Expert testing confirmed that the sear allowed multiple rounds to be fired with a single pull of the trigger.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division-Toledo Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Crawford for the Northern District of Ohio.

If you witness threatening behavior toward members of law enforcement, visit tips.fbi.gov/home to submit a tip.