A 40-year-old Louisville man is facing a felony charge after allegedly sending more than 100 text messages this week threatening to kill University of Louisville students and fans ahead of Saturday's home football game. Kenneth Barnett was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening after a family member of a University of Louisville athletics department employee received the messages and contacted police.
According to WLKY, Barnett sent one message that read, “I will go through your tailgate like a Tasmanian Devil samurai. Slaughtering you all.” The recipient reported the messages to police, and Barnett was arrested. A judge in the case said threats to schools and universities are very serious concerns for the court, and raised Barnett's bond from $15,000 to $75,000. He is due back in court on September 26.
Court documents reviewed by WHAS11 show Barnett was formally charged with second-degree terroristic threatening after allegedly sending the threatening texts on September 15. The alleged messages included the word “slaughtering” and referred to an upcoming UofL sporting event.
Why the Charge Is a Felony
Under Kentucky Revised Statutes § 508.078, second-degree terroristic threatening occurs when someone intentionally threatens an act likely to cause death or serious physical injury at a public event, workplace, school function, or gathering of three or more people, according to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. That statute addresses threats made in those settings.
The charge is classified as a Class D felony under Kentucky law. The court later raised Barnett's bond to $75,000. Under KRS 508.078(5), the charge can be classified as a Class C felony if investigators prove substantial preparatory conduct such as acquiring weapons, ammunition, or body armor.
A High-Stakes Weekend for Louisville Security
The alleged threat lands just ahead of UofL's home football game against Southern Methodist University on Saturday at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Per Churchill Downs, that same day also brings the Louder Than Life music festival at the Kentucky Exposition Center and Downs After Dark at Churchill Downs, with increased congestion and particularly heavy traffic expected.
The available account describes the alleged message as referencing a tailgate, without specifying designated parking lots or establishing that fans gathered in fixed lots around the stadium were its target.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Threats in Louisville
Barnett's arrest comes during a month of heightened threat-related disruption at Louisville-area institutions. Hoodline previously reported that Trinity High School closed on September 8 following a social media post that raised safety concerns, and Assumption High School closed on August 31 for similar reasons.
That same Hoodline coverage noted a prior case tying threats to UofL athletics: in November 2018, a 29-year-old Louisville man made a threat involving the University of Louisville coaching job, a case that led to a 2019 guilty plea to third-degree terroristic threatening. Kentucky law also requires school superintendents and principals to issue annual written notices to students and parents within the first ten days of each school year explaining state terroristic threatening laws and penalties, according to Justia Law, part of a broader statewide effort to deter such conduct.
