Wake judge raises bail for man accused of threatening to shoot elementary school kids
A Wake County judge increased the bail Wednesday for a man accused of threatening “to shoot up” an elementary school last year and possessing child pornography.
Superior Court Judge Vince M. Rozier raised the bail for Arthur Kochetkov of Wake Forest from $500,000 to $750,000 based on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is being held in the Wake County jail under a total bail of $950,000.
Kochetkov has been jailed since September after Facebook posts from his account stated he had “amassed an army big enough to slaughter all your Wake Forest kids in their local playground.”
His initial bail of $200,000 was set after he was arrested for making threats against Jones Dairy Elementary School, Assistant District Attorney Katie Pomeroy said.
Rozier said he raised Kotchetkov’s bond after considering the charges against him, including the child pornography charges.
“Based on what I’ve read here, I think it should be increased,” Rozier said during the hearing.
Rozier also placed other conditions on Kochetkov, including house arrest, staying at least 1,000 feet away from schools and wearing an electronic monitoring device should he be released on bail.
Family members have said Kochetkov is mentally ill and could not have carried out his threats. Police found no weapons at the home he shares with his mother.
Kochetkov underwent a mental health evaluation at Central Regional Hospital in October and initially was found “not competent to proceed with his defense,” according to court records that Pomeroy read. During subsequent mental health treatment, his condition improved so he now can help with his own defense, the documents say.
About a dozen people from Wake Forest attended the hearing but declined to speak after the hearing. Some of them wore T-shirts with the slogan “JDE Strong” printed on the front.
Kochetkov’s arrest led to increased security measures at Jones Dairy, including an armed off-duty Wake County sheriff’s deputy patrolling the campus. The town of Wake Forest said the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were among the groups “actively working this case.”
The News & Observer previously reported Vadim Kochetkov said his brother, a U.S. Army veteran who has said he has post-traumatic stress disorder, had recently stopped taking his medication. Vadim Kochetkov speculated then that the Facebook post was his brother reacting to being unfairly characterized by the school community as being dangerous.
Arthur Kochetkov was living with his mother last fall in a home next to the school when he was arrested for making the threats. In July, he was charged with trespassing at the school.
The child pornography charges resulted from a subsequent search of his cell phone and other seized electronic devices, according to arrest warrants.
This story was originally published June 5, 2019 at 3:31 PM.