(KNOX COUNTY, Ohio) — A series of phone calls from a concerned mother helped set in motion what turned out to be a nationwide investigation that uncovered an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House last weekend and led to the arrest of one of the suspects, according to authorities.
ABC News obtained phone calls made to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, including one by the mother of 19-year-old Tycen Proper, whom federal prosecutors have charged with conspiring against the United States, attempted murder of an officer of the U.S., and firearms crimes in connection with the alleged plot.
Authorities said Proper’s mother first called her cousin, who happens to be the chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, on June 10 — just four days before the White House event was set to take place. The deputy chief later called the dispatch center to describe his conversation with Proper’s mother and asked if a Danville, Ohio, police officer was available to go to her house and talk with her, according to the recordings obtained by ABC News.
“They are having some issues with their son, and I think, I don’t think anybody’s in immediate danger, as in this second, but I know she has concerns with weapons and ammo, and particularly a mindset that her oldest boy is in right now,” the cousin said.
“She’s probably going to call you,” the cousin added, “But in case she doesn’t, maybe dispatch him [a Danville police officer] up there right away so that he can get a handle on what’s going on. She called me on my phone all panicky, and I’m like, ‘Well, I’m at home, there’s nothing I can do, but I’ll call and get somebody on the way.'”
The dispatcher immediately issued a radio call to send an officer to Proper’s home, saying that the mother had “concerns about her son and having problems with him. She did mention something about guns and ammo and wanting somebody to check out,” according to the call recording.
A short time later, the mother called dispatch and said she wanted to file a report about her son to have it on record. The dispatcher asked if her son was there.
“Yes, we just got all of his guns and ammo out of his room and put it, got it out off our property. He just came inside and he’s probably going to discover it’s not in his room,” Proper’s mother replied.
“What’s going on, though? Is he like, is he suicidal? What’s going on?” the dispatcher asked.
“Oh no, he’s just … I don’t … we don’t even know what he’s wanting to do. He’s wanting to leave this weekend and go with a group of people to help, like, fight the corrupt government,” Proper’s mother replied, according to the call recording.
By the end of the evening, Proper had been taken to Knox Community Hospital for an emergency medical admission, according to police records. Those records indicate he had a history of suicidal ideations.
According to body camera footage from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, also obtained by ABC News, after Proper left with deputies, his mother continued sharing her concerns with authorities.
“He’s texting somebody. If you go ahead and get a hold of his phone or his text messages, it’s all in there,” she tells authorities, according to the body camera footage. “It’s all on his phone. I saw him on Google Maps, he had a little pin dropped in it. I saw on Google maps, Washington, D.C.”
Describing a conversation to police she said she had with her son, she said he told her, “It’s a hit-and-a-run type of thing. I’m, like, Oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
The following day, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office contacted the FBI, which searched Proper’s iPhone, according to charging documents.
“During a preliminary search of the device, investigators observed chats on Signal groups that laid out detailed plans to conduct an attack in Washington D.C. with several unidentified confederates,” charging documents stated. “In the chat, detailed imagery of the National Capitol Region and maps of the area were shared to a group of which PROPER was a member, highlighting sniper locations, potential drone launch locations, and other detailed tactical planning.”
Later that day, investigators interviewed Proper at the medical facility where he had been taken where he “admitted to planning with others a coordinated attack against the United States government during the UFC event scheduled to take place on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 14, 2026,” according to the charging documents.
The phone calls from Proper’s mother provide insight into what began as a local police investigation and quickly turned into a nationwide investigation involving the FBI, Secret Service and ATF that resulted in the arrests of five people in four states, including Proper.
“My client takes the allegations against him very seriously and we are going to take the case one step, and one day, at a time as we move the case forward,” Joseph Patituce, attorney for Proper, said in a statement to ABC News.
According to police records obtained by ABC News, the guns, ammunition and other tactical gear that was taken from Tycen Proper’s room by his family was located at the home of his grandfather and turned over voluntarily to the to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for safekeeping. Those items would eventually be the subject of a federal search and seizure warrant.
Authorities are still working to identify and locate other people whom they say may have been involved in the alleged plot.
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