Gerald McFarland

NEWS 28 - The Federal Crimes Investigation Service and the Presidential Protective Service have announced that they have captured the suspect who was wanted in connection with the attempted assassination of President Jay Laylin on January 12, 2025.

The Federal Crimes Investigative Service announced that they had placed the man under arrest, but didn't confirm his identity, and said that they would release his name as soon as they get more information from the suspect.

"We have the person responsible for the shooting of President Jay Laylin on January 12, 2025," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. " We will not release his name until we have full cooperation from him and we know he is requesting an attorney. So it may be some time before we release his name. We expect charges to stick and we don't believe there will be any major challenges to our case. We thank all the law enforcement and our teams for their hard work, spending tireless hours looking for this animal who shot our president. We have a lot of work to do to ensure we get this man sentenced and jailed for the rest of his life.”

The agency had been in search of the shooter since January 12, but weren’t able to locate him. Fortunately, a man from West Chester, North Lorray was able to tackle the suspect, after identifying him as the man sought by Federal investigators.

“He was outside one of my local gas stations, and I approached him, identified him, and took him down,” said the good Samaritan. “He attacked our country when he shot the President. I just did what I could to bring this guy to justice.”

“We are continuing to look into his motives, and as of now, he has requested an attorney,” continued Wilkenson. “We have enough evidence as of now to put him behind bars for the next 20 years, but we hope to gather more evidence to solidify our case.”

PPS Director Gerald McFarland praised the man for his quick actions and thanked him for turning him over to authorities quickly.

“The man who caught our suspect, is a true patriot,” said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. “We thank him for helping us apprehend him by tackling him to the ground and swiftly calling law enforcement to get him, so that he faces justice for his role in shooting President Laylin.”

RUFUS - The shooter who was responsible for the Jay Laylin shooting has been captured, ending a weeks long manhunt for the shooter. According to reports, a North Lorray resident had spotted what looked like the man. He proceeded to tackle the man, and police and Federal Officials confirmed that he was the shooter. They didn't say how they were able to confirm the identity of the shooter, but it is heavily likely that they used DNA evidence.

The Federal Crimes Investigative Service announced that they had placed the man under arrest, but didn't confirm his identity, and said that they would release his name as soon as they get more information from the suspect.

"We have the person responsible for the shooting of President Jay Laylin on January 12, 2025," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. " We will not release his name until we have full cooperation from him and we know he is requesting an attorney. So it may be some time before we release his name. We expect charges to stick and we don't believe there will be any major challenges to our case. We thank all the law enforcement and our teams for their hard work, spending tireless hours looking for this animal who shot our president. We have a lot of work to do to ensure we get this man sentenced and jailed for the rest of his life.”

The agency had been in search of the shooter since January 12, but weren’t able to locate him. Fortunately, a man from West Chester, North Lorray was able to tackle the suspect, after identifying him as the man sought by Federal investigators.

“He was outside one of my local gas stations, and I approached him, identified him, and took him down,” said the good Samaritan. “He attacked our country when he shot the President. I just did what I could to bring this guy to justice.”

“We are continuing to look into his motives, and as of now, he has requested an attorney,” continued Wilkenson. “We have enough evidence as of now to put him behind bars for the next 20 years, but we hope to gather more evidence to solidify our case.”

PPS Director Gerald McFarland praised the man for his quick actions and thanked him for turning him over to authorities quickly.

“The man who caught our suspect, is a true patriot,” said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. “We thank him for helping us apprehend him by tackling him to the ground and swiftly calling law enforcement to get him, so that he faces justice for his role in shooting President Laylin.”

NEWS 28 - The security personnel working President Jay Laylin's security detail on January 12, 2025, have been fired, per reports by the Presidential Protective Service. The agents directly violated PPS policy, and didn't adequately spread resources to the entire venue.

"What happened in Towton on January 12, 2025, should never have happened, and internal investigations found that agents did not follow policy set in place by the agency," said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. "We can't allow these types of incidents to happen, especially when our sole purpose is to protect the President of the United States Of Jesstopia. The agents who were fired, were given a weeks notice, but we will not release their names at this time for security and privacy reasons."

The agency's director had come under fire during his weeks long grilling by Congress, but was finally cleared to return to work. During his closed door hearing, the director was questioned about why his agents failed to secure the speaking event properly, resulting in harsh words from Senators on both sides of the isle. McFarland, prior to the shooting had served as Director of the agency for a little less than two months. Leading up to the shooting, he had changed the policy for securing speaking events, in the wake of the July 13 shooting of then-former President Donald Trump.

"I am extremely disappointed in the PPS," said Senator Lillian Beavers. "During our closed door investigation, he appeared to deflect and blame his agents. He said that he had policy set, but that clearly isn't the case. Why would the Presidential Protective Service fail its mission. That is something we may learn in later hearings so it is pertinent that we continue to drill the director on his agent's failure. But we will see."

The PPS is facing increasing scrutiny also due to the fact the shooter has not been caught. Agencies from around the country are still looking for the shooter, and no one has come forward to give investigators and police a potential lead. There have been no other updates given and it is extremely important that the PPS is able to get back to its work, and to regain the trust of the Jesstopian people.

RUFUS - The Presidential Protective Service agents responsible for protecting President Jay Laylin during the January 12 shooting, have been fired, according to reports by the PPS itself. The agency confirming that it fired the entire team responsible for its failure to protect the president, citing that they didn't follow the exact policy of the agency.

"What happened in Towton on January 12, 2025, should never have happened, and internal investigations found that agents did not follow policy set in place by the agency," said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. "We can't allow these types of incidents to happen, especially when our sole purpose is to protect the President of the United States Of Jesstopia. The agents who were fired, were given a weeks notice, but we will not release their names at this time for security and privacy reasons."

The agency's director had come under fire during his weeks long grilling by Congress, but was finally cleared to return to work. During his closed door hearing, the director was questioned about why his agents failed to secure the speaking event properly, resulting in harsh words from Senators on both sides of the isle. McFarland, prior to the shooting had served as Director of the agency for a little less than two months. Leading up to the shooting, he had changed the policy for securing speaking events, in the wake of the July 13 shooting of then-former President Donald Trump.

"I am extremely disappointed in the PPS," said Senator Lillian Beavers. "During our closed door investigation, he appeared to deflect and blame his agents. He said that he had policy set, but that clearly isn't the case. Why would the Presidential Protective Service fail its mission. That is something we may learn in later hearings so it is pertinent that we continue to drill the director on his agent's failure. But we will see."

The PPS is facing increasing scrutiny also due to the fact the shooter has not been caught. Agencies from around the country are still looking for the shooter, and no one has come forward to give investigators and police a potential lead. There have been no other updates given and it is extremely important that the PPS is able to get back to its work, and to regain the trust of the Jesstopian people.

NEWS 28 - The Federal Crimes Investigation Service, Presidential Protective Service and North Lorray Highway Patrol have all released their findings in the October 2024 Assassination Attempt On Jay Laylin, and issued that the shooter was mentally ill at the time of the shooting. They say that the suspect had a long history with mental illness, and the mental illness alone was the root cause of the attempted assassination.

"We have discovered that the shooter, now identified as 19 year Alex Grashoch, had a long history of mental illness," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. "He had been in mental hospitals at least six times prior to this incident. In addition, he was hospitalized 8 times for cutting his wrists and other parts of his body. He was arrested twice, for 2 mental episodes where he stripped naked in several stores. Access to firearms was made possible because his parents were hunters. The parents were cleared of wrongdoing because they had taken the necessary precautions to prevent him from getting the firearms. The investigation also concluded that he had used a high pressure water cutter to gain access to the safe. We believe that had he been in a better mindset and lacked the mental illness, he most definitely would not have attempted to kill the then President-Elect."

The suspect had been the valedictorian candidate for his local high school, and his teachers and classmates said that he was a genuinely caring dude who had "dark demons," and expressed their grief at his loss, and were thankful that the president was not killed that "very dark day."

"He was just like any other kid," said Terry Shoup, a friend of Grashoch. "He was kind, caring, loved his friends, and more importantly loved his family. It breaks my heart that he suffered alone and died as a result of his mental illness. I think about his family everyday and think about the grief they are dealing with right now. He was not in his right mind when he pulled the trigger that cost him his life. Mental illness is a horrible thing. May he rest in peace."

Teachers from across the school district expressed their sincerest shock and condolences to the Grashoch family for their "unimaginable loss." They remembered Grashoch as a kind, caring and loving student and friend.

"He was just one of the sweetest kids in the world," said Michelle Divett, Grashoch's 11th Grade Physics teacher. "He was always eager to help whenever and whoever he could. The pain in my heart of knowing he silently suffered alone absolutely crushes me, and will for the rest of my life. He was such a bright light in this world full of darkness and his absence will be felt throughout this community. My prayers are with his family while they navigate this horrible loss."

Others in the community, including his pastor, who Grashoch confided in, broke down in tears as he remembers the teen. The two had built a strong friendship during his time with the church and the pastor grew concerned after not seeing him in church for the last few months.

"I didn't think anything of it at first, because he would usually come in one or twice a month, but I became increasing concerned for his safety when he didn't show up at all after December 2, 2024," said Pastor Garrett Craig. "What I know now, it just breaks my heart that he felt he couldn't tell me the demons he was fighting. He was a beautiful soul lost way to soon."

Pastor Craig honored the late teen with a special prayer service where hundreds of members of Grashoch's community came together to remember and honor the short but fulfilling life of Alex Grashoch.

"We have found that Alex Grashoch had been suffering from sever mental disorders and that is what led to the shooting that could have cost the Jay Laylin his life," said PPS director Gerald McFarland. "We are grateful the shooter didn't succeed in shooting Jay Laylin to death. We have been working very hard to come to a conclusive end of the investigation and we thank the FCIS and North Lorray Highway Patrol for their assistance in this investigation."

RUFUS - On October 21, 2024, a gunman opened fired on the motorcade of then President-elect Jay Laylin, with the Presidential Protective Service identifying and neutralizing the shooter. The agency investigated the shooting, alongside the Federal Crimes Investigative Service, and the North Lorray Highway Patrol. Their findings were released on December 26, 2024 at 11:15 PM.

"We have discovered that the shooter, now identified as 19 year Alex Grashoch, had a long history of mental illness," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. "He had been in mental hospitals at least six times prior to this incident. In addition, he was hospitalized 8 times for cutting his wrists and other parts of his body. He was arrested twice, for 2 mental episodes where he stripped naked in several stores. Access to firearms was made possible because his parents were hunters. The parents were cleared of wrongdoing because they had taken the necessary precautions to prevent him from getting the firearms. The investigation also concluded that he had used a high pressure water cutter to gain access to the safe. We believe that had he been in a better mindset and lacked the mental illness, he most definitely would not have attempted to kill the then President-Elect."

The suspect had been the valedictorian candidate for his local high school, and his teachers and classmates said that he was a genuinely caring dude who had "dark demons," and expressed their grief at his loss, and were thankful that the president was not killed that "very dark day."

"He was just like any other kid," said Terry Shoup, a friend of Grashoch. "He was kind, caring, loved his friends, and more importantly loved his family. It breaks my heart that he suffered alone and died as a result of his mental illness. I think about his family everyday and think about the grief they are dealing with right now. He was not in his right mind when he pulled the trigger that cost him his life. Mental illness is a horrible thing. May he rest in peace."

Teachers from across the school district expressed their sincerest shock and condolences to the Grashoch family for their "unimaginable loss." They remembered Grashoch as a kind, caring and loving student and friend.

"He was just one of the sweetest kids in the world," said Michelle Divett, Grashoch's 11th Grade Physics teacher. "He was always eager to help whenever and whoever he could. The pain in my heart of knowing he silently suffered alone absolutely crushes me, and will for the rest of my life. He was such a bright light in this world full of darkness and his absence will be felt throughout this community. My prayers are with his family while they navigate this horrible loss."

Others in the community, including his pastor, who Grashoch confided in, broke down in tears as he remembers the teen. The two had built a strong friendship during his time with the church and the pastor grew concerned after not seeing him in church for the last few months.

"I didn't think anything of it at first, because he would usually come in one or twice a month, but I became increasing concerned for his safety when he didn't show up at all after December 2, 2024," said Pastor Garrett Craig. "What I know now, it just breaks my heart that he felt he couldn't tell me the demons he was fighting. He was a beautiful soul lost way to soon."

Pastor Craig honored the late teen with a special prayer service where hundreds of members of Grashoch's community came together to remember and honor the short but fulfilling life of Alex Grashoch.

"We have found that Alex Grashoch had been suffering from sever mental disorders and that is what led to the shooting that could have cost the Jay Laylin his life," said PPS director Gerald McFarland. "We are grateful the shooter didn't succeed in shooting Jay Laylin to death. We have been working very hard to come to a conclusive end of the investigation and we thank the FCIS and North Lorray Highway Patrol for their assistance in this investigation."

NEWS 28 - A man has been arrested after he made threats to shoot President Jay Laylin from several social media platforms. The suspect's identity is being withheld pending and investigation by the FCIS and PPS. Lawmakers from both parties are once again condemning the threats against the president.

The President was made aware of the threat against but did not comment directly on the threat against him. The President survived a shooting at his private residence in Mesa, when he was just a presidential candidate back in September, when a gunman opened fire on him and his family while they slept in their private Alden residence. He was then targeted again on September 21, 2024, when he motorcade was traveling down Nox City Boulevard, and a shooter opened fire on his vehicle. That shooter was shot and killed by PPS agents.

"There has been a lot of political violence against politicians over the course of the last six months, including several assassination attempts against myself as well as President-Elect Donald Trump," said President Laylin. "Threats against political figures are also on the rise as we've seen more and more threats. We are working to resolve these threats as quickly as possible. Threatening anyone is not okay, and we must stop that trend. Violent rhetoric almost cost the life of Donald Trump back in July. We need to get along and work for the common good of our country."

Senate Leaders including Senate Majority Leader Larry Cofelt and Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham condemned the threats against President Laylin. They echoed his sentiment about needing to end all violence.

"It is a shame that people are still threatening anyone at this point," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Cofelt. "But what makes it worse is that it is the President of the United States Of Jesstopia. Threats against the president are taken very seriously, and when Congress resumes in six days, we will work to get to the bottom of social media platforms not regulating the content that is posted on them."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham voiced his disappointment in the continued attacks of Jesstopian leaders. He expressed his distain for how desensitized we've become as a nation to think it is funny, or a joke to threaten the life of another human being.

"It's shameful that as a supposed civilized society, that we are still threatening harm and violence against fellow Jesstopian," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham. "We must come together to end any form of violence or threats thereof. Our nation is one that could tap 100% of its potential if we just get along as a great people. There is absolutely no reason to threaten anyone, and especially not the president of a country."

The suspect is likely facing felony criminal threats, and could be sentenced between 2-6 years in prison. Additional charges could following depending on whether weapons are found in his direct home. Federal prosecutors are pushing for the highest maximum sentence for this type of case.

"Our agents were tipped off of violent threats against President Jay Laylin on social media sites like X as well as Instagram and Snapchat," said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. "We begin our investigation and we found that the suspect had made several dozen posts about harming the President. We are currently working to sift through all posts to ensure that weapons weren't present in the home during that time."

Federal Crime Investigative Service director Barry Wilkenson has also issued the following statement regarding its own private investigation into the threat. He expressed that this matter will not be taken lightly.

"Today's threat of violence against President Jay Laylin is a very serious crime, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that justice is served and he faces the maximum," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. "These threats are not taken lightly and we will ensure that the suspect faces justice. We will not be releasing this individuals name at this time, pending our investigation."

RUFUS - An arrest has been made in connection with a 32 year North Lorray man, after making a shooting threat against President Laylin earlier this evening. The man, identified as 32 year old Davon Brown, was arrested by Presidential Protective Service agents with cooperation from the Federal Crime Investigation Service. The agency says it is pushing max penalty in the case and will continue to investigate the threats as very serious and plausible.

The President was made aware of the threat against but did not comment directly on the threat against him. The President survived a shooting at his private residence in Mesa, when he was just a presidential candidate back in September, when a gunman opened fire on him and his family while they slept in their private Alden residence. He was then targeted again on September 21, 2024, when he motorcade was traveling down Nox City Boulevard, and a shooter opened fire on his vehicle. That shooter was shot and killed by PPS agents.

"There has been a lot of political violence against politicians over the course of the last six months, including several assassination attempts against myself as well as President-Elect Donald Trump," said President Laylin. "Threats against political figures are also on the rise as we've seen more and more threats. We are working to resolve these threats as quickly as possible. Threatening anyone is not okay, and we must stop that trend. Violent rhetoric almost cost the life of Donald Trump back in July. We need to get along and work for the common good of our country."

Senate Leaders including Senate Majority Leader Larry Cofelt and Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham condemned the threats against President Laylin. They echoed his sentiment about needing to end all violence.

"It is a shame that people are still threatening anyone at this point," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Cofelt. "But what makes it worse is that it is the President of the United States Of Jesstopia. Threats against the president are taken very seriously, and when Congress resumes in six days, we will work to get to the bottom of social media platforms not regulating the content that is posted on them."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham voiced his disappointment in the continued attacks of Jesstopian leaders. He expressed his distain for how desensitized we've become as a nation to think it is funny, or a joke to threaten the life of another human being.

"It's shameful that as a supposed civilized society, that we are still threatening harm and violence against fellow Jesstopian," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Rodham. "We must come together to end any form of violence or threats thereof. Our nation is one that could tap 100% of its potential if we just get along as a great people. There is absolutely no reason to threaten anyone, and especially not the president of a country."

The suspect is likely facing felony criminal threats, and could be sentenced between 2-6 years in prison. Additional charges could following depending on whether weapons are found in his direct home. Federal prosecutors are pushing for the highest maximum sentence for this type of case.

"Our agents were tipped off of violent threats against President Jay Laylin on social media sites like X as well as Instagram and Snapchat," said PPS Director Gerald McFarland. "We begin our investigation and we found that the suspect had made several dozen posts about harming the President. We are currently working to sift through all posts to ensure that weapons weren't present in the home during that time."

Federal Crime Investigative Service director Barry Wilkenson has also issued the following statement regarding its own private investigation into the threat. He expressed that this matter will not be taken lightly.

"Today's threat of violence against President Jay Laylin is a very serious crime, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that justice is served and he faces the maximum," said FCIS Director Barry Wilkenson. "These threats are not taken lightly and we will ensure that the suspect faces justice. We will not be releasing this individuals name at this time, pending our investigation."

NEWS 28 - The Presidential Protective Service agency is about to get a new leader, and a whole lot cleaner. The agency announced the appointment of Gerald McFarland as the next director of the Presidential Protective Service, by President Jay Laylin on November 18.

"I selected Gerald McFarland to serve as the next Director of the Presidential Protective Service for many reasons including his long career in law enforcement, as well as his ability to lead strong investigations against corrupt corporations," said President Jay Laylin. "He will bring what the agency needs to ensure that the President remains safe, and his agents work diligently to effect the safety and security of their protectees. I am grateful to have him on our team."

McFarland was selected out of a group of about 12, and was selected just after 11:00 PM, to serve as the third director of the agency. McFarland, has expressed the need to end DEI within the agency, which played a major role in the assassination attempt of US President-Elect Donald Trump in July 2024.

"The need to ensure all protectees receive adequate protection is paramount to the agency's success," said McFarland. "Our job is not to hire based on gender, but to hire based on qualifications and abilities, which are key to protecting those we serve and protect."

The agency was headed by David Calmarro for the last two years, as interim director, following the resignation of David Romero, for sexual misconduct. Under his leadership, two assassination attempts were carried out against then President-Elect Jay Laylin. His leadership was called into question, and Jay Laylin asked him to step down as Director of the PPS, effective November 20, 2024.

RUFUS - President Jay Laylin late this evening selected his next Presidential Protective Service Director, after years with Interim Director David Calmarro at the helm of one of the largest investigative agencies in the United States Of Jesstopia. The President announced his pick for PPS director a little after 11:00 PM, and he is set to take office on November 20, 2024. Due to the nature of his office, he isn't required to be confirmed by the Senate, but some leaders opt to ensure a full background done on their appointments.

"I selected Gerald McFarland to serve as the next Director of the Presidential Protective Service for many reasons including his long career in law enforcement, as well as his ability to lead strong investigations against corrupt corporations," said President Jay Laylin. "He will bring what the agency needs to ensure that the President remains safe, and his agents work diligently to effect the safety and security of their protectees. I am grateful to have him on our team."

McFarland was selected out of a group of about 12, and was selected just after 11:00 PM, to serve as the third director of the agency. McFarland, has expressed the need to end DEI within the agency, which played a major role in the assassination attempt of US President-Elect Donald Trump in July 2024.

"The need to ensure all protectees receive adequate protection is paramount to the agency's success," said McFarland. "Our job is not to hire based on gender, but to hire based on qualifications and abilities, which are key to protecting those we serve and protect."

The agency was headed by David Calmarro for the last two years, as interim director, following the resignation of David Romero, for sexual misconduct. Under his leadership, two assassination attempts were carried out against then President-Elect Jay Laylin. His leadership was called into question, and Jay Laylin asked him to step down as Director of the PPS, effective November 20, 2024.