Virginia Man Accused of Threatening Senators Barred From Tweeting

What to Know

Kyler Schmitz is accused of sending tweets threatening to shoot senators.
The judge ordered Schmitz undergo mental health evaluations, stay away from Washington entirely and submit himself to GPS monitoring.
He is not allowed to tweet at all or play any video games with internet capability.

A judge released a Virginia man accused of tweeting threats to shoot at least two U.S. senators under the condition that he doesn't tweet at all for any reason pending his next court appearance, according to prosecutors.

The judge ordered Kyler Schmitz undergo mental health evaluations, stay away from Washington entirely and submit himself to GPS monitoring. He is allowed only limited internet access and is not allowed to play any video games with internet capability. He also is forbidden from drinking alcohol.

Schmitz must also reside with a “third-party custodian” chosen by the court, according to the order.

Schmitz is charged with making the threats earlier this month. He’s accused of tweeting Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) with a message that he’d shoot Blunt “in the head.” In other Twitter posts, Schmitz wrote to Members of Congress with a message that he’d shoot them “in the face,” according to prosecutors.

U.S. Capitol Police investigated and questioned Schmitz, who lives with his fiancé in Alexandria. He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest last week.

According to testimony at a court hearing, a license plate reader detected Schmitz’s car within two blocks of the U.S. Capitol shortly after the tweets were posted.

Schmitz’s fiancé told News4 the tweets were parodies and satire and not genuine threats against any members of Congress. The messages were "inartful political discourse" on the issue of gun control, Schmitz’s defense attorney said Monday.