GREENSBORO, N.C. — A retired Greensboro police officer said the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump had dozens of run-ins with the law while living in the Triad.
The former officer Eric Rascke said he got to know Ryan Routh well after roughly 100 encounters with him during his time on the force.
Routh, 58, grew up in Greensboro and owned a roofing business. He's facing federal gun charges after investigators found him with a gun outside the golf course where the former president was.
Rascke, who spent 26 years as a Greensboro police officer, was assigned to patrol the area around Routh's home and business. From the 1990s to the 2000s, Routh faced multiple charges, including theft, driving with a suspended license, and numerous hit-and-runs. While Rascke says Routh was never violent, he noted that their interactions changed over the years.
“He would call me out by name, and it was always with arrogance, cockiness, and attitude,” Rascke said. “He always thought he was above everybody. He always had something to say, like he knew more than you and could get away with it,” Rascke added.
Rascke said Routh never talked politics with him, but Routh often complained that the city was unjustly coming after him. He frequently insisted that he wasn’t breaking the law and that police were simply picking on him. Rascke viewed Routh as a “petty crimes” criminal and was shocked to learn of his alleged attempt to assassinate a former president.
“From my interactions with him years ago, I would say I’m immensely shocked. But knowing how a person’s mind can change, I can see how feeling like a victim over time escalates and alters a person’s outlook,” Rascke said.
Additionally, new information has surfaced about Routh’s education. According to UNC Greensboro, Routh attended the university between 1988 and 1990, but he did not graduate.
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