Some parents took their kids out of school the day the notes began appearing around Juneau, prosecutors said.
A children’s book illustrator living in Juneau, Alaska, was arrested for allegedly placing notes around the city featuring an image of an assault rifle, a transgender flag and the words, “Feeling cute. Might shoot some children,” according to the Alaska Daily News, citing charging documents.
Mitchel Thomas Watley, 47, was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening.
Watley, a Texas-native who is now based in Alaska, is most famous for having illustrated the popular Alaska children’s book, “I Would Tuck You In,” which was written by his wife, according to independent art distributor Wild Spruce Artworks.
In the early hours of March 31 – which coincides with International Transgender Day of Visibility – a note was found inside a store that “indicated a possible general threat against children,” authorities said.
“Although the note did not relay a specific threat, [the Juneau Police Department] notified the Juneau School District about the issue,” police said in a statement.
Several hours later, another note was found on the bulletin board of a state office building, according to authorities.
Police said schools already had additional police presence following the Tennessee school shooting, which left three children and three adults at the private Christian school in Nashville earlier last week week. The shooter in Tennessee was identified by authorities as transgender.
Some parents, however, opted to take their children out of school after the first note was found, prosecutors said Monday, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Two days later, two more notes with the same images and text appeared at a Costco location, authorities said.
After reviewing security footage related to the events, authorities determined Watley was “involved in passing the notes,” and arrested him with support from the FBI.
Watley later told police that he had been “in fear” after the Tennessee school shooting, Alaska Daily News reported, citing charging documents.
Prosecutors, however, said these actions were meant to threaten and intimidate “our most vulnerable populations,” according to Alaska Public Media.
Watley was released on $10,000 bond following his arraignment. He is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 11. He will be supervised via electronic monitoring.
