The Brief
- Austin Curtis, 32, was arrested after allegedly stalking a former high school classmate, leaving a bag of knives on her porch, and threatening mass violence at a Pride parade.
- During police questioning, Curtis admitted to sending “about 9 million messages” and banging on the victim’s door, blaming his actions on excessive Adderall use and claiming his violent threats were First Amendment “jokes.”
- Officers seized an assault-style rifle and other weapons from Curtis’s apartment, and he now faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and stalking.
GILBERT, Ariz. – An East Valley man who claimed he bombarded a former high school classmate with “about 9 million messages” was arrested Oct. 12 after leaving bags filled with knives and animal feces on her doorstep — and threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Gay Pride parade, authorities said.
What we know:
Austin Jay Curtis, 32, of Gilbert, is facing felony charges of making a terrorist threat and stalking, as well as a misdemeanor count of threatening and intimidating, according to Maricopa County court documents. A judge ordered Curtis held on a $75,000 cash bond following an investigation that led Chandler police to seize multiple firearms, including an assault-style rifle, from his residence.
Bomb squad called in
Timeline:…