An Onslow County inmate discharged from the Marine Corps last month after being charged with the attempted armed robbery of a Jacksonville hotel is at the heart of a Secret Service investigation into threats against the president, federal law enforcement sources said.

Kody Brittingham, 20, formerly a lance corporal with 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, is the "target of an investigation" by federal authorities. His mid-December arrest by the Jacksonville Police Department on breaking and entering charges yielded evidence he posed a "credible threat" to then-President elect Barack Obama, a federal law enforcement source told The Daily News on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Naval investigators discovered a journal allegedly written by Brittingham in his barracks after his arrest by civilian authorities in December. The journal contained plans on how to kill the president, as well as white supremacist material, a federal law enforcement official said.

The Secret Service confirmed an ongoing investigation involving a Camp Lejeune Marine, but would not confirm Brittingham was their suspect.

"This is a very delicate, ongoing case; and I cannot discuss the nature of it," said David Robey, Secret Service Agent-in-Charge of the Wilmington Office.

Brittingham is being held in the Onslow County Jail under a $40,500 bond for the attempted armed robbery and breaking and entering charges.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown confirmed the Secret Service interviewed an inmate in the jail three weeks ago.

Brittingham was administratively separated from the Marine Corps on Jan. 3, pending legal action by civil authorities, said 2nd Marine Division spokesman 1st Lt. Philip Klay.

Brittingham was arrested in December along with three other Marines and a civilian in connection to an armed robbery at Liberty Inn on Marine Boulevard and an attempted robbery at My Hotel on Commerce Drive. The five worked together as security at a local nightclub prior to the alleged robberies.

While the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the five for possible federal weapons violations, there is no indication the other four knew about Brittingham's supposed journal, a law enforcement source said. Brittingham is the only one of the five suspects who is white.

Of the other three Marines, two are still active duty and one has been discharged.

Brittingham joined the Marine Corps on July 10, 2007. His military awards include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He never deployed with the Marine Corps, Klay said.

 

Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.