Texas man arrested in threat to kill stepson, classmates
AUSTIN — A Texas man who was jailed for fighting with his 16-year-old stepson is accused of threatening to kill all the students at the Arkansas high school the teen attends, causing multiple lockdowns on campus.
Police in Austin arrested Patrick Pleasant last Thursday and charged him with third-degree felony retaliation.
Pleasant, 36, was initially arrested in Jacksonville, Arkansas, last month on a charge of domestic battery for the fight with his stepson.
On Aug. 21, after his release from jail, Pleasant contacted the police in that city to demand that his stepson be arrested too, for biting him during the fight, an arrest warrant affidavit says.
Pleasant was “highly upset” and told police he planned to go to Jacksonville High School to kill the boy, according to the affidavit.
The school was locked down, and Jacksonville police obtained a warrant for Pleasant’s arrest.
On Sept. 5, Pleasant sent Facebook messages to his former pastor repeating his desire to kill his stepson and shoot up the high school, the affidavit said. The pastor didn’t immediately report the incident to police, but he notified the school of the threats, the affidavit states.
On Thursday, Pleasant sent an email to the school’s principal with one line of text: “I’m going to kill all of the kids,” the affidavit says. The school was once again placed on lockdown as Jacksonville police searched for Pleasant. They tracked his phone to an address more than 500 miles away in Austin and officers there placed him under arrest.
The affidavit says Pleasant admitted to making the threats and that he told police he had wanted to scare his stepson.