SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — A man accused of threatening teachers and staff in Summit County over LGBTQ+ curriculum was taken into custody in Pitkin County Wednesday morning, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.
Charles Draughn, 26, faces multiple charges, according to court records. Those charges include:
- Felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon
- Menacing
- Interference with a school-credible threat
On Jan. 24, Draughn posted several comments on local newspaper Summit Daily's Instagram account, threatening teachers and school district staff —including Superintendent Tony Byrd, according to the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's Office.
According to an arrest affidavit, Draughn's comments were about the recent Summit County School Board decision to begin educating students on LGBTQ+ issues.
"You are harming children and all teaching involved in this will meet their maker soon," one comment read in part, according to the affidavit. "People WILL start dying in Summit County," he's accused of writing.
Pitkin County officials said they were notified about the threats by the Garfield County Communications Authority which reported that Draughn was believed to be in Pitkin County. They were also told that he was possibly armed.
As a precaution, all schools in Pitkin County went on “secure” status at approximately 8:50 a.m.
Investigators used location data to determine that Draughn was in the Old Snowmass area, a rural section of central unincorporated Pitkin County.
Just after 10 a.m., he was taken into custody at an address in that area.
Draughn is currently being held in the custody of the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, on a felony warrant out of Summit County. He's expected to appear in court Thursday morning.
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