WASHINGTON (AFP) - A bartender plotted to murder House Speaker John Boehner after hearing voices in his head telling him that the senior US politician was "the devil", police documents obtained by an Ohio TV station showed on Tuesday.
Michael Hoyt worked at Wetherington Country Club in West Chester, in Mr Boehner's home state of Ohio, where Mr Boehner is a member and was served drinks by Hoyt on numerous occasions, according to a US Capitol Police affidavit published by WCPO in Cincinatti.
Hoyt was indicted Jan 7 on charges he threatened to murder Mr Boehner last October after he was fired from his bartending job, according to WCPO.
Details of the extraordinary development - all the more alarming due to the close contact that the two men found themselves in when Mr Boehner visited the club - were revealed in a criminal complaint filed by US Capitol Police special agent Christoper Desrosiers.
One week after he was sacked, Hoyt called 911 and told police he blamed Mr Boehner for his woes. He told officers he began hearing voices from his car speakers telling him that Mr Boehner was evil, Mr Desrosiers wrote in the document.
Hoyt also said Mr Boehner was "responsible for Ebola", the officer said.
"Hoyt has imagined and believes John Boehner is the devil, and Hoyt believes he is Jesus Christ," Mr Desrosiers added.
"Hoyt advised he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic and he was going to shoot Boehner and take off."
The complaint also detailed how Hoyt acknowledged to police how he could have poisoned the top Republican in Congress by putting something in his drink, but did not.
"Hoyt stated that no one checks the drinks that he poured for Mr Boehner and it would have been very easy to slip something into his drink," Mr Desrosiers said.
The suspect also emailed Mr Boehner's wife, demanding a meeting with Mr Boehner and another club member in order to resolve their dispute.
WCPO reported that Hoyt was voluntarily admitted to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for observation and evaluation.
According to the documents, Mr Boehner told police he "did not recall any negative interactions with Hoyt".
