A man is sitting in the Warren County Jail after Warrenton police say he threatened to shoot up a local Walmart and other locations on Halloween. Officers moved fast once they caught wind of the alleged statements, tracking the man down, hauling him in for questioning, and booking him on a 24-hour hold before the holiday even arrives.
The Warrenton Police Department announced Saturday that it had arrested the man after he allegedly made the threats, according to KMOV. Police said they began investigating after receiving information about the alleged statements and tracked down the individual believed to be responsible, per the station's report.
Once located, the man was arrested and interviewed by detectives. Following that interview, he was taken to the Warren County Jail, where he was placed on a 24-hour hold for second-degree terroristic threat, the outlet reported.
What Happens After the Hold Remains Unclear
As of Saturday, there had been no further information released about what comes next after the 24-hour hold is up, per the same account. It is not yet known whether formal charges will follow or what the man's status will be once the hold expires.
Under Missouri law, making a terrorist threat in the second degree is classified as a class E felony, according to a statute snippet published by the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Separately, another section of Missouri law addresses the detention of suspects following an arrest made without a warrant, including a 24-hour detention window for certain offenses and a confinee's rights, per the Missouri Revisor of Statutes.
A Reminder of How Quickly These Threats Can Escalate
Threats aimed at big-box retailers are not unheard of in Missouri. In 2019, Springfield police arrested 20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko after he walked into a Missouri Walmart carrying a rifle and wearing body armor, according to ABC News. Police said Andreychenko was carrying about 100 rounds of ammunition when he entered the store, and he was stopped at the scene by an armed off-duty firefighter until officers arrived to take him into custody.
Walmart said that incident caused panic and put associates and customers at risk, though the retailer noted at the time that no one was injured. Police ultimately said there was no longer a threat to the community, and that Walmart location reopened.
No similar details about weapons, timing, or specific store locations have been released in the Warrenton case. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
