A bartender plotted to murder US House Speaker John Boehner after hearing voices in his head telling him the senior politician was "the devil", police documents obtained by an Ohio TV station show.
Michael Hoyt worked at Wetherington Country Club in West Chester, in Boehner's home state of Ohio, where Boehner is a member and was served drinks by Hoyt on numerous occasions, a US Capitol Police affidavit published by WCPO in Cincinnati on Tuesday says.
Hoyt was indicted on January 7 on charges he threatened to murder Boehner last October after he was fired from his bartending job, WCPO says.
Details of the extraordinary development - all the more alarming because of the close contact the two men found themselves in when Boehner visited the club - were revealed in a criminal complaint filed by US Capitol Police special agent Christoper Desrosiers.
One week after he was sacked, Hoyt called 911 and told police he blamed Boehner for his woes.
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He told officers he began hearing voices from his car's speakers, telling him Boehner was evil, Desrosiers wrote in the document.
Hoyt also said Boehner was "responsible for Ebola", the officer said.
"Hoyt has imagined and believes John Boehner is the devil, and Hoyt believes he is Jesus Christ," Desrosiers said.
"Hoyt advised he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic and he was going to shoot Boehner and take off."
The complaint also said Hoyt had acknowledged to police how he could have poisoned the top Republican in Congress by putting something in his drink, but did not.
"Hoyt stated that no one checks the drinks that he poured for Boehner and it would have been very easy to slip something into his drink," Desrosiers said.
The suspect also emailed Boehner's wife, demanding to meet Boehner and another club member to resolve their dispute.
WCPO reported Hoyt was voluntarily admitted to University of Cincinnati Medical Centre for observation and evaluation.
The documents said Boehner told police he "did not recall any negative interactions with Hoyt".
