ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — An Orange County man who is being charged with threatening to kill House Speaker Dade Phelan asked for his bond to be lowered, but a judge rejected it.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above originally aired on February 21, 2024)
44-year-old Daniel LeBlanc was arrested on January 17, 2024 by special agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) after making the threats.
LeBlanc's attorney filed a writ of habeas corpus and asked Judge John Stevens to lower his bond to $25,000, saying that his original $500,000 bond is too unreasonable.
After a nearly three-hour hearing, Judge Stevens mentioned a prior conviction LeBlanc has for terroristic threat and said that this new charge is a serious one.
LeBlanc made the threat in a post on his Facebook account, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Phelan's staff notified special agents after he said that he felt threatened, the affidavit states.
Judge Stevens refused to lower the bond, and said that LeBlanc will have to wear a tracking device if he makes bond, and will be forbidden to make posts on Facebook until his case is resolved.
RELATED: Orange County man arrested, charged with making terroristic threat against Speaker Dade Phelan
LeBlanc was arrested in Bridge City, and charged with terroristic threat which is a felony offense, Judge Ben Collins previously told 12News. He was later brought to the Jefferson County Jail.
Statement from Speaker Dade Phelan:
Unfortunately, this sort of threatening language is the direct result of a yearlong campaign of disinformation by my opponent and his out-of-town allies. It is one thing to disagree with me in the political arena, but I am first and foremost a father and husband, and this threatening language directly impacts my family. I thank the Texas Department of Public Safety and our local law enforcement for working to keep my family safe and for their around-the-clock efforts to maintain the sense of security in our communities.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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