Dearborn Heights has been thrust into the spotlight following the arrest of 25-year-old Andrew Mark Bays, who is accused of posting threats against a local school on social media. ClickOnDetroit reported that last Saturday, local police were alerted to the concerning posts by another law enforcement agency. This prompted an investigation that led them to Bays's home in the 5000 block of Pardee Street. During the arrest, officers discovered multiple firearms and indications of threatening ideology.
Following Bays's arraignment yesterday, he now faces charges for intentionally threatening to commit an act of violence against a school and using a computer to commit a crime. As detailed by TCD Dearborn News, he was held on a $500,000 cash bond. If he posts bond, an electronic tether will be required. The suspect's residence further complicated the situation: a home directly across from Pardee Elementary School and adjacent to O.W. Best Middle School.
In an interview, Dearborn Heights officer Paul Vanderplow revealed, "We found some things a normal citizen would not have, so to speak." The gravity of what was found was such that certain details have been withheld from the public. Despite this, the officers believe that no other parties were involved and that Bays acted alone. "Throughout our investigation, we found we didn’t have any accomplices, we had no other parties involved, so we were highly confident that there were no more threats to the local school, especially the school that he lived near," Vanderplow stated, as per FOX 2 Detroit.
Further investigation has revealed troubling aspects of Bays's beliefs. Law enforcement found evidence of white supremacist views and ties to a strange cult that supports the government assigning partners to men who can't find one. Bays is currently charged with threatening a school and using a computer to carry out the crime, but more charges could come as investigators continue to examine his devices.
