Man accused of threatening to blow up Rep. Byron Donalds’ office and ‘shoot every cop’
By Tyler Watkins, Madison Zaleski, Edward Franco
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LEE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — A man was arrested Monday after Lee County deputies said they received a tip that he made concerning calls to Rep. Byron Donalds’ office in Cape Coral.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Daniel Eberly, 43, threatened to blow up Donalds’ office and “shoot every cop” during the erratic phone calls.
Detectives were able to find Eberly at his Cape Coral home and take him into custody within hours of the reported threats.
“In just a matter of hours, detectives took him into custody and charged him accordingly. Frankly, that phone call was the investigative equivalent of a self-addressed stamped envelope,” Marceno said.
Body camera footage shows Eberly being taken into custody on Northeast 15th Avenue and Northeast Pine Island Lane. Alex, a neighbor who witnessed the arrest, said, “The guy was threatening the congressman! That’s crazy! Two houses down from my house. That’s nuts!”
Donalds’ team shared a statement from him with Gulf Coast News that said, “Thank you, Sheriff Marceno and all the fine law enforcement officers who quickly handled this threat. There is no place for violence in our politics, and there is no place for violence against law enforcement.”
Eberly is facing charges of making a false report of a weapon of mass destruction and making a threat against a public servant. He has a lengthy criminal record in Lee County dating back a decade.
Eberly was arrested in 2024 for arson after Lee County deputies said video showed him setting a fire outside of a business.
Neighbors expressed concerns about the frequent law enforcement presence at the home. Paul, another neighbor, said, “Safety concern for everybody in the neighborhood.”
The home is reportedly a transitional living and addiction recovery house, which neighbors say is too close to families and a school bus stop. Alex added, “It’s no surprising that the cops come here sometimes every day in the week!”
Another man was previously arrested on May 27 for threatening to kill Donalds. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said Dominic Ambrosia, 30, posted the threats to his X account.
Alex commented, “He’s moved up a lot to have some punk guy just threaten his life, his safety, his well-being.”
Back near U.S. Rep. Donalds’ office, Chriss Hoffman from Lee County, who was passing by, said, “I do think violence is on the uptick. And just in general, it just seems a lot more is happening around the world and even in our own neighborhoods, to be honest.”
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