A Knox County man accused of being involved in a plot to attack a UFC fight taking place on the White House lawn has agreed to be held in custody while his case is pending, avoiding a scheduled appearance in federal court in Columbus.
Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, faces four charges in U.S. District Court accusing him of being one of the people leading the efforts to plot a drone and sniper attack on the June 14 event.
Proper first appeared June 15 in federal court in Columbus, and Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King issued a temporary order for Proper to be held in custody.
A full detention hearing had been scheduled for 3 p.m. June 17 before King. The hearing would determine whether Proper would remain in custody pending future court dates or will be released on supervision.
On June 16, Proper agreed, according to federal court records, to waive his right to that hearing and agreed to be held in detention.
Proper remains at the Franklin County jail.
Federal prosecutors allege in court documents that Proper and others from around the country conspired to stage an attack utilizing drones equipped with explosives. The plan involved detonating the drones, court records said, and strategically placing snipers along the anticipated evacuation route to attack those fleeing the explosions.
The planners had wanted to “jumpstart” a revolution, according to court records, because they felt the country was heading in the wrong direction. Complaints cited in court documents include data centers using too much water, government controlling the people and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The attack, court documents say, came to the knowledge of investigators after Proper’s mother called Knox County police on June 10 with concerns over her son’s behavior and firearms purchases.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tycen Proper, Ohio suspect in UFC drone plot, waives Columbus court date
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
