Charles Turner Habermann Arrested: Calif. Man Accused of Threats Appears in Court

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (CBS/AP) Charles Turner Habermann, a California man arrested on a charge that he made threatening phone calls to Washington state Congressman Jim McDermott, has made his initial appearance in a Riverside federal court.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Bristow set bond at $300,000 for Habermann on Wednesday and placed Habermann on home detention pending his next court date in Washington state on Jan. 25.

Habermann could be released as early as Thursday.

Habermann of Palm Springs was taken into custody earlier Wednesday.

Investigators say he made two expletive-filled phone calls on Dec. 9 threatening to kill the liberal Seattle Democrat and his friends and family, and saying he'd hire someone to put McDermott "in the trash."

The FBI interviewed him the next day in connection with the calls.

During the interview, authorities say he acknowledged having made the calls, and said that while he had consumed alcohol before doing so, he still felt he was functional enough that at the time he could have driven his car.

According to CBS News' Political Hotsheet Habermann said he was trying to "scare" politicians "before they spent money that didn't belong to them," but added he had never intended to actually hurt them - particularly because he didn't want to do anything that could jeopardize his access to a $3 million trust fund.