COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dressed in a lime green jail jumpsuit with his hands and ankles shackled, Brayden Grace shuffled into federal court in downtown Columbus for a detention hearing to determine whether he should be released from custody or held.
Police arrested Grace at an apartment off Morse Road where the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he was found hiding behind a door upstairs and his hands stained pink from hair dye. His hair was dyed pink in the front, a move authorities say was an attempt to chance his appearance after he knew he was wanted by the FBI.
Grace allegedly made a swatting call, defined as prank call to law enforcement that includes threats of violence, to Hollywood Casino in Columbus in January 2024. Authorities say Grace made a threat of a shooting and bomb threat.
It wasn’t his first time. In court, the judge heard that Grace allegedly made another swatting call in East Palestine, Ohio. In September 2021 authorities say he called police saying he had hostages and would threatened to kill them.
Officers descended on the home of an unsuspected family to find no threat.
Grace and his co-defendants are accused of making swatting calls in Alabama, Georgia and New York where a fake bomb threat was called in.
Grace and his alleged co-conspirators were part of a group called “Purgatory” where the U.S. Attorney’s office says they used multiple online social media platforms to “coordinate and plan their swatting activities and to announce swats that they conducted.”
During Monday’s detention hearing, the U.S. Attorney’s office argued against allowing Grace to be released from custody, saying he is not only a threat to flee, but also is also a danger to the community.
“People around the country have died in swatting incidents. That’s why we argued so strenuously that Grace should remain detained,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Martinez.
Grace's attorney argued that, instead of jail time, he should be placed in a mental health facility where he could have a GPS monitor placed on him to track his whereabouts.
The judge denied the request, saying instead the court would try to get him help while in jail, but admitted resources are scarce.
Grace’s attorney says he suffers from several mental health issues and is a drug user who was raised in several foster homes. His attorney told the judge Grace’s mother abandoned him and he was subjected to physical abuse at the hands of his mother’s partners. He eventually lived with his grandmother who kicked him out of the house, according to his attorney.
Grace faces multiple felony counts including cyberstalking, interstate threatening communication, and threats to damage and destroy by means of firearms and explosives.
The U.S. Attorney’s office credited the local news media for publishing Grace’s wanted poster which led to a tip to his whereabouts.