An Omaha man has been arrested after authorities say he threatened to shoot Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen’s grandchildren and the Catholic school that they attend.
Ean Halstead, 32, was arrested after allegedly posting a message on Columbus Catholic School’s website that read, “I’m going to shoot up this school and kill [Governor] Jim Pillen’s [grand]children with a few nuns for f*cking funsies.”
Pillen thanked the Nebraska State Patrol in a press conference for apprehending Halstead.
“We’re trying like heck to protect our babies. I mean, I got grandbabies that are going into fourth grade,” Pillen said. “So we’re doing anything we can to protect our kids.”
“It’s very disturbing when somebody does enough research to know where my babies are going to school, and did a threat to the school,” he added.
Investigators attempted to confront Halstead near his home on Friday, but he fled inside, barricaded himself, and remained there for about an hour, according to Nebraska Public Media. Authorities later obtained an arrest warrant and took Halstead and his mother into custody.
Prosecutors say Halstead hid his cellphone inside a guitar after wiping it and restoring it to factory settings. He also allegedly unplugged his internet router, according to KETV News.
Investigators later determined the router had been used to access the Columbus Catholic School website. They also linked several email accounts to Halstead and the alleged online threat.
Authorities further allege that Halstead made eight outbound phone calls to a contact in the governor’s office about seven minutes before the threat was posted online.
Court records also sho Halstead was the subject of a protection order filed by a former boyfriend in 2022. The petition alleged that Halstead brandished a butcher knife, threatened to kill him and their dogs while they slept, and sent text messages describing fantasies about burning down the bedroom.
Bond was set for $1 million. Halstead is scheduled to appear in court on August 24.
Nebraska prosecutors have charged him with making a terroristic threat and tampering with physical evidence.
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