44-year-old local man indicted for threats against Speaker of the House

BEAUMONT — A 44-year-old man from Orange who allegedly made terroristic threats toward Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on Wednesday.

Daniel Troy LeBlanc is in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility with bond set at $500,000 on the charge of terroristic threats against Phelan.

On Jan. 14, a Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division special agent received information about a person posting threatening/deadly statements towards Phelan via Facebook, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Through investigation law enforcement was able to find the Facebook account and the posts, some of which threaten violence and death.

Agents were notified by Phelan’s staff that Phelan reviewed the statements and felt threatened.

A lieutenant on the case had previously investigated LeBlanc for implied threats made on social media to a Chambers County judge, according to the court document.

In March 2023, the lieutenant received information LeBlanc arrived at the Jefferson County Courthouse for a child support hearing. LeBlanc reportedly was wearing a 9mm pistol and a .357 Magnum pistol was located within his vehicle.

He was arrested for a bond forfeiture on that date in 2023.

Jefferson County mental health deputies served an emergency detention order to evaluate LeBanc’s mental health on that date.

The findings of the mental health evaluation were not released in the probable cause affidavit.

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