Man accused of threatening a mass shooting if the country were locked down due to hantavirus
By Carlee Gilpin
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MARION COUNTY, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — A man from Oakland, Arkansas, was arrested after he was accused of making threats of a mass shooting if the country were locked down due to hantavirus.
According to our ABC affiliate in Jonesboro, KAIT, a news release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Aaron Keith Bynum, 20, was arrested on charges of first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications. Deputies say the arrest stems from an investigation into threats made online.
On May 9, the FBI’s National Threats Operations Center received an electronic tip that an individual in an online multiplayer game had threatened a mass shooting at his local Walmart if the country were locked down again due to the hantavirus. The individual provided the player’s username along with an in-game recording of the threats, the press release states.
Two days later, officials said a subpoena was issued to the parent company of the game, identifying Bynum as the owner of the account. On May 13, the FBI Fayetteville Field Office contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and passed the information to the Criminal Investigation Division.
On May 14, deputies said investigators submitted and received a search warrant for Bynum’s home, along with a probable cause affidavit for his arrest.
On May 15, Bynum was arrested and taken to the Marion County Detention Center, where he was booked and processed, according to Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander.
Bynum’s bond is set at $2,500.
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