A man arrested outside a Donald Trump rally in Coachella pleaded not guilty to gun charges Thursday, months after suing the Riverside County Sheriff for alleged violations of his constitutional rights.
Vem Miller was not present at his arraignment Thursday morning in Riverside County Superior Court, but his attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His next court appearance is a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 11.
No federal charges have been filed in the case and the U.S. Secret Services assessed that Trump was not in any danger during the event, according to a joint statement from the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Chad Bianco has said he believes his agency foiled an assassination attempt during the October 12 rally.
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The arrest followed at least two other incidents earlier last year in which federal officials allege an assassination attempt against Trump took place. the Pennsylvania Rally where he was struck by gunfire, with a bullet grazing his ear and seriously wounding two other people. The 20-year-old gunman was killed by snipers after firing eight shots, authorities said.
Miller, who describes himself as a journalist and longtime Trump supporter, has denied the allegations. He has said he legally owned the firearms and revealed them to officers he spoke to at the rally checkpoint.
The lawsuit he filed three days after his arrest on Oct. 15 names the county of Riverside and Bianco as defendants, alleging that the search of his vehicle and arrest violated his constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of speech unlawful searches and seizures. . In lawsuits, he accuses local law enforcement in Riverside of violating his civil rights “for the purpose of promoting and participating in a meritless and unnecessarily sensationalized narrative.”
Miller also accuses Bianco of, an outspoken Trump supporterof mischaracterizing the incident among the general public.
“Immediately following Miller’s arrest, Defendant Bianco missed no opportunity to fabricate allegations against Miller, which appeared on numerous news outlets, claiming to have thwarted a third assassination attempt on presidential candidate Donald J. Trump,” the lawsuit reads. “It became clear that Bianco, deliberately, maliciously and with a blatant disregard for the truth, wanted to create a narrative to be seen as a ‘heroic’ sheriff who saved presidential candidate Trump from a third assassination attempt.”
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A day after it was filed, the Riverside County sheriff released a statement declining to comment on the lawsuit.
“We recognize the lawsuit filed against the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and take such matters seriously. However, as there is no ongoing litigation, we cannot comment on the details at this time,” the statement read. “We are committed to transparency and will fully cooperate with the legal process.”
When Miller was arrested in October, Bianco told reporters that the 49-year-old Las Vegas resident was found with an “obviously counterfeit license plate,” prompting police to investigate further. He said they found multiple passports and driver’s licenses with different names in Miller’s vehicle, as well as a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine, which he is accused of illegally possessing.
“The license plate was what we in law enforcement would recognize as homemade and indicative of a group of individuals claiming to be sovereign citizens,” Bianco said.
Days after his arrest, Miller told CBS News he has worked as a Trump campaign volunteer in Nevada and ran unsuccessfully for Nevada state office in 2022 as what he described as “a Trump-centric candidate.”
“I’ve been to more than 20 events with Trump, some private where I could literally reach out and touch the president. I’ve had conversations with Trump’s sons,” he said.
