Findlay man jailed on federal charges appeals detention

TOLEDO — Simon A. Tuck, 44, of Findlay, has requested revocation of a detention order in a federal court. Tuck was implicated in a federal case earlier this year and was arrested in late February on two counts of stalking, one count of false information and hoaxes and one count of sending threatening communications. He pleaded not guilty to all four counts. He was indicted in early March. Last spring, presiding U.S. Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay ordered the continued detention of Tuck after determining he poses an ongoing danger to multiple alleged victims and the wider community. The recently filed motion requesting revocation of the detention order argues the judge's findings "were based on incomplete or erroneous information" provided at a March hearing and that Tuck is not a flight risk or a danger to himself or others. The motion attempts to clarify the alleged misinformation regarding Tuck's wife's travels abroad to visit family, his ownership of cryptocurrency, his ability to access the internet or phone, and his wife's ability to act as a guardian. "On de novo review, the defense argues that the Magistrate Judge simply placed too great of weight on information that did not establish by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of any other person of the community or establishing by preponderance of the evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure a defendant's appearance as required," the motion reads. "Even if the court were to find that the Magistrate Judge properly found clear and convincing evidence of Mr. Tuck's dangerousness existed at the time of the March 4, 2026 Detention Hearing, because the lion's share of these concerns have been addressed, there no longer exists clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Tuck is a danger to the community or a risk of nonappearance if released." An FBI affidavit said Tuck targeted the alleged victims from November 2025 to March 2026. According to testimony from an FBI agent, given during a court hearing, the bureau became involved after Tuck filed a false report with the FBI's National Threat Operations Center, claiming one of the victims was planning a mass casualty event at the Detroit Metro Airport. Tuck is accused of having made other false reports to law enforcement and others that included claiming a victim was abusing family members, sexually harassing coworkers, illegally distributing narcotics in the workplace, and professional malpractice. He is also accused of repeatedly filing false emergency reports intended to trigger armed law enforcement response to victim's homes, a practice commonly known as "swatting," An FBI affidavit, found in court records, states these actions risked causing "physical, emotional or reputational harm," and even death due to escalating police response. When law enforcement executed a search warrant of Tuck's residence, they located several electronic devices with incriminating documents, including screenshots of threats made to the victim and more than 200 pornographic images of one victim, allegedly generated using artificial intelligence. Tuck remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings. A jury trial has not yet been scheduled.