This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle
May 1, 2026
A 24-year-old Dubois County man was arrested Thursday after Indiana State Police say he sent a series of threatening social media messages to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
Joshua Wasson, of Jasper, was arrested on a Level 6 felony count of intimidation against a public official, along with misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of paraphernalia, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police Jasper Post.
Police said the investigation began after First Sgt. Detective Rob Gardner was alerted to “threatening” posts and messages directed at Beckwith on Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook. State police Lt. Brock Werne and Trooper Andrew Recker opened an investigation and later interviewed Wasson at his workplace.
While retrieving items tied to the case from Wasson’s vehicle, troopers also located suspected marijuana and paraphernalia, according to state police. Wasson was taken to the Dubois County Jail, where he remained in custody Friday morning. No defense attorney for him was immediately listed in court records.
In a statement posted Friday on X, Beckwith thanked state police “for uncovering this threat and taking immediate action.”
“This type of violence aimed mostly at conservatives must stop now and any members of the media who encourage these radicalized individuals to act should also be held accountable,” Beckwith said in the the post.
He additionally said on told WIBC radio that some of the messages dated back weeks but escalated in recent days.
“I’ve gotten some messages from this guy going back to March, and I got a couple yesterday that were very, very threatening,” Beckwith said Friday. “One was a picture of Charlie Kirk. It was a graphic showing him being shot in the neck, with blood coming out of his neck.”
Beckwith said he expects the case will result in a protective order limiting Wasson’s proximity to him and his family.
State police said that the investigation remains ongoing.
The arrest comes amid heightened concerns about threats against Indiana officials in recent months, particularly surrounding legislative debates over redistricting.
Indiana State Police spokesperson Capt. Ron Galaviz told the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Friday that separate investigations into those incidents remain active and that no arrests have been made.
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