A Riverside man is charged with three felonies after allegedly making numerous threats including threatening President Barack Obama.
Riverside Police Chief Rick Oliver said Calvin Pillard, 23, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and is charged with three counts of perjury first degree, a Class C felony.
“The investigation has been ongoing since April,” Oliver said.
Oliver said the Riverside Police Department received numerous reports regarding harassing communications.
“A person was allegedly making threatening phone calls to Calvin Pillard’s cell and home phone and the phones of several relatives of his,” Oliver said. “That person left threatening messages more than 200 times with a disguised voice.”
Oliver said Pillard accused another person of the offences, signed warrants against that person swearing it was him behind the offences, and that person was arrested.
“These phone calls escalated after the arrest to the point where threats were made against Police Chief Rick Oliver, Riverside Municipal Judge Larry Ward and President Obama, at which time I called the Secret Service.” Oliver said. “We were able to determine that Pillard was making all the calls himself.”
Oliver said Pillard was interviewed and arrested Tuesday afternoon. Pillard was released on an $8,000 bond Tuesday evening.
“I want to commend the United States Secret Service and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office who assisted the Riverside Police Department in this investigation,” he said.
