Tennessee Man Faces Federal Charges for Online Threats Against ICE Officers

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Tennessee Man Charged with Online Threats Against ICE Officers, Faces Up to 10 Years

A Knoxville, Tennessee resident has been indicted on federal charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The charges involve alleged threats made on social media against ICE officers. If convicted, the individual faces significant prison time and substantial fines.

According to information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), David Kerr was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 16. The indictment, stemming from an investigation by HSI Knoxville, includes two counts of interstate threats. These charges are reportedly linked to public posts made by Kerr on the social media platform BlueSky, in which he allegedly wrote phrases such as “time to bear spray ICE” and “kill the ICE military police.”

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The case has drawn attention from DHS leadership, with the department emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for threats against federal law enforcement. The potential consequences for Kerr, if found guilty, include up to 10 years in prison. This could be composed of a maximum of five years for each of the two charges. Additionally, each charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000, totaling a potential $500,000 fine. Supervised release for up to three years is also a possibility upon conviction.

Kerr appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on September 21, where he entered a plea of not guilty. The trial in this matter is currently scheduled to commence on November 24, 2026. The prosecution will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Lewen, Jr. This indictment represents the culmination of the HSI investigation into the alleged threats.