Lentz arrested for intimidation, threatened to shoot prominent citizen, held with no bond

A local man was arrested on Friday morning after he posted on social media, X - Twitter, that he was going to walk to a prominent person’s home in the Plymouth community and shoot them.

Just after 2 a.m. Friday, the Marshall County Central Dispatch Center received information from the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center (IIFC) saying they had a credible threat to the life of a well-known individual in the Plymouth community.

The Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center (IIFC) is a state-level intelligence and information sharing center that serves as a hub for integrating, analyzing, and disseminating criminal intelligence to combat terrorism and criminal activity in Indiana. It is a 24/7 operation that supports local, state, and federal agencies in preventing and responding to criminal and terrorist threats.

City police arrived at the victim’s home around 3 a.m., woke them, and warned them of the credible threat.  Police remained in the neighborhood until the suspect was located.

The suspect, 41-year-old Justin Lentz, posted on social media three separate times, indicating he was going to shoot the citizen in the head.  He also asked President Trump if he would pardon him if he killed the well-known individual.  Central Dispatch told officers that Lentz had a prior incident in 2022 where he made threats to the President of the United States on social media.

Officers visited Lentz’s last known addresses on Juniper Road in Bremen and South Plum Street in Plymouth but did not find the suspect. Just before 4 a.m., Lentz’s father contacted the Central Dispatch Center and said he had found his son in Plymouth and brought him to the City Police Department. 

When Lentz met with Plymouth Police, he admitted to posting threats online and drinking earlier. A portable breath test showed no alcohol in his system.

Justin Lentz was initially booked into the county jail with a $1,500 cash bond for one count of intimidation, as a level 5 felony, and given a court date of July 8. Due to the danger to the community, Lentz is being held without bond until his arraignment. A no-contact order was issued as part of the bond conditions, and Lentz is not to have any contact with the victim, either directly or indirectly, wherever they may be, until further order from Marshall Superior Court II Judge Matthew Aldridge.