COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Tres Genco’s mother called sheriff’s deputies to her Highland County home last year – she told them her son was out of control.
On March 12, 2020, Highland County sheriff’s deputies responded to a Hillsboro home where Genco’s mother claimed her son had threatened to “take care of her” and heard him cock a gun.
Locked in his room, a sheriff’s report obtained by 10TV News details how deputies convinced Genco to come out of his home unarmed.
Through questioning him and conducting a search warrant, deputies later discovered an AR-15 with a bump-stock in Genco’s black Audi, along with additional items in his home – including firearms, ammo, body armor, and “disturbing writings that appeared to (be) plans Tres had of committing a mass shooting at OSU Medical in Columbus (sic) Ohio on May 23, 2020,” according to a sheriff’s report obtained by 10TV News.
What local authorities discovered in March 2020 turned into a federal indictment this week - accusing of Tres Genco of plotting to conduct a mass shooting of women on a university campus in Ohio.
An Ohio State University spokesman declined to confirm that the reference to “OSU” in the documents was synonymous with the Ohio State University – stating in an emailed response that “we are directing all questions to the US Attorney and FBI.”
He did not directly respond to a question about if he would dispute that being reported.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the southern district of Ohio replied to 10 Investigates’ questions about the “OSU” reference by added she can’t confirm which university because it’s not detailed in our court filings.
But federal indictment returned this week narrows the possibilities of which university was targeted – alleging that Genco had conducted research about both Columbus police and university police scanner codes and visited a university campus in January of 2020 to conduct surveillance.
The indictment also states Genco identified as an “incel” or “involuntarily celibate” a part of an “online community of predominantly men who harbor anger towards women.”
The indictment alleges that Genco posted to online “incel” forums and in August 2019 wrote a manifesto saying he would “slaughter out of hatred, jealousy and revenge” that same day, the feds claim he “conducted online searches for sororities and a university in Ohio.”
During his questioning by investigators with the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Genco was questioned about a trip he took to Greece in August of 2019, his writings on hotel stationery, joining the Army months later and whether “joining the military was needed to carry out the attack on OSU.”
According to a summary of the interview with investigators, Tres told deputies he was “F#$^ing stupid for talking” to authorities without a lawyer but claimed that he was not a terrorist and dismissed his writings as done out of “possible boredom or depression.”
Federal authorities have charged Genco with an attempted hate crime and illegal possession of a machinegun.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
10 Investigates reached out to his mother and placed a call to jail officials requesting an interview with Genco. We have not heard back yet.