Military vet flying Nazi flag threatened neighbors supporting Trump, Oklahoma cops say
A 73-year-old man notorious for threatening his neighbors who flew flags supporting President-elect Donald Trump was also known for flying a flag of his own, Oklahoma police said.
Thomas “Rusty” Goodman, a U.S. military veteran, was pulled over in Claremore in September as he was flying a Nazi flag from his truck bed, according to an affidavit filed by police.
“Goodman drove around with the Nazi flag to see what sort of responses he would get from the citizens of Claremore,” the court document read.
Goodman repeatedly threatened his neighbors who supported Trump, telling one neighbor he was “on assignment” to shoot and kill people who were wearing red hats or Trump regalia if the former president won the election, according to an affidavit filed Nov. 14.
He’s facing a terrorism charge for a series of threats that began in January. He is being held in jail without bond, prosecutors said in an email to McClatchy News.
He also threatened to plan a “post-election shooting” in the Oklahoma town if Trump was victorious on Nov. 6, according to police.
Though Goodman was known for flying a Nazi flag and threatening to kill Trump supporters, police said he compared Trump to Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler.
Another neighbor said Goodman had been angry at them for flying a Trump flag after the 2020 presidential elections, causing “problems” that later led the family to sell their home and move, police said.
Goodman reportedly vandalized their home with spray paint and threw dead animals in their pool, according to the affidavit.
Though this neighbor had moved away, Goodman attempted to locate their new address by sending them letters, police said. An August letter to the former neighbor read, “When Trump starts his civil war, many many people will be killed,” the affidavit said.
Goodman is also accused of mailing a letter to another neighbor, but it was addressed to “the Claremore Nazi Party,” according to court documents. This neighbor also flew a Trump flag.
Police believe there are more victims and are asking them to come forward,
Claremore is about a 130-mile drive northeast from Oklahoma City.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Military vet flying Nazi flag threatened neighbors supporting Trump, Oklahoma cops say."
