A Tyonek man was arrested Tuesday over a threatening Facebook post that left village residents concerned for their welfare. He told Alaska State Troopers he made the post after learning that his underage daughter had been molested.
The Soldotna Public Safety Communication Center received a call Monday afternoon from Marilyn Johnson, principal of the Tebughna School in Tyonek who said she was fearful of what could happen to students and staff after reading a Facebook post from 26-year-old Justin Trenton.
Troopers were unable to fly to Tyonek until Tuesday morning because of weather conditions.
In the meantime, citizens patrolled the town until troopers arrived.
Trenton was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening, a class C felony. If convicted, the maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
According to a trooper affidavit filed in court Tuesday, the responding trooper Sgt. Eugene Fowler obtained a copy of Trenton’s Facebook post. The post, which has since been deleted from Trenton’s page, alleged he knew about some people who molested his underage daughter and he let it be known he knew about it and would press charges.
“I personally will be going around looking to soak myself in your blood,” Trenton wrote. “I got nothing going for me so don’t think I won’t come at you for the (expletive) finish. All you sick (expletive) better run and get the hell out of the village before I get to you.”
The K-12 Tebughna School, which serves 31 students, went into a “modified lockdown,” on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from the Kenai Peninsula School District spokesperson Pegge Erkeneff. Erkneff wrote in a Wednesday email that the district would not be issuing a formal release of information on the matter.
Parents were notified Monday evening that the school would be on a modified lockdown, which calls for the front doors to be locked and shades drawn over the windows, but classes remain in session. School activities returned to normal Wednesday, according to the district post.
When troopers contacted Trenton at his house, he stated he wasn’t going to harm anyone and he made the statements to “wake up the village” and “make them do something about the perverts that were preying on the children.”
Trenton told troopers he understood he scared everyone and shouldn’t have worked it the way he did.
Tyonek located on the western shore of Cook Inlet across from Nikiski, has a population of about 170 people.
Trenton is currently jailed at Wildwood Pretrial Facility. His next court date is Jan. 30 in Kenai District Court.
Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.
