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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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A Missouri woman planned to kill President Donald Trump with a gun she stole from her father, a sheriff's office in Missouri has alleged.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Ozark County Sheriff's Office in Gainesville, Johnetta Parsons stole the firearm from her father's home in early December, then took it to St. Louis and left it in a friend's car almost a month later.
"The victim's granddaughter further reported that, while the suspect was in St. Louis, the suspect sent text messages to her stating that she intended to use the stolen pistol to kill President Trump after securing transportation via bus from the Greyhound station," Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Rhoades wrote in a probable cause statement reviewed by Newsweek.
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"The suspect communicated multiple times via text that she possessed the firearm, though she later claimed a friend was holding it, and reiterated her plan to kill the president."
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The sheriff's office announced Parsons' arrest in February but did not disclose the alleged plan to kill Trump, which the U.S. Secret Service was told about.
Newsweek reached out to the sheriff's office and the U.S. Secret Service for further comment via voicemail and email Wednesday afternoon.
What Is Johnetta Parsons Accused of?
According to Rhoades' filing, the Ozark County Sheriff's Office received a report on December 8, 2025, that a SCCY CPX-2, 9 mm pistol had been stolen from Parsons' father. He reported that his daughter might have taken the gun.
A few weeks later, on January 3, Rhoades was on patrol when he received information about the stolen firearm. The victim's granddaughter reported that Parsons was outside the Greyhound bus station in St. Louis.
The Columbia Police Department logged that it had found the stolen gun after two people arrived at the station in a vehicle that contained "numerous personal items," including the firearm. The pair said they had driven their friend, Parsons, to drop her off in St. Louis.
After that, the granddaughter reported the text messages from Parsons in which she allegedly said she planned to kill the president. Other messages, between the victim and his daughter, showed she also told him about the plan.
"In these messages, the suspect admitted to taking the firearm, instructed the victim to report it stolen, and expressed her intentions to kill the president," Rhoades wrote.
Rhoades contacted the U.S. Secret Service about the foiled threat, with the agency saying the information would be passed on. At time of publication, there are no known federal charges against Parsons.
Court records in Missouri showed Parsons was charged with one count of stealing a firearm, with an initial court appearance Wednesday.
Other Assassination Attempts
Trump has faced assassination attempts over the past two years, including during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
The incident in Butler happened during a campaign speech in front of hundreds of supporters, with the suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, shot and killed by law enforcement. A member of the crowd was killed and two others injured. Trump's right ear was hit during the shooting, but he quickly returned to his feet and rallied the crowd.
The other attempt on Trump's life in Florida saw Ryan Routh arrested and put on trial after he was thwarted before being able to take aim at the president. In February 2026, Routh was sentenced to life in prison.
Update 3/11/26, 1:32 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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