Man accused of threatening Wake students is barred from being within mile of school
A man accused of threatening to shoot students at a Wake Forest elementary school will not be allowed to return to his mother’s home next to the campus if he’s released from jail.
Arthur Kochetkov, 33, of Wake Forest, was arrested this week on charges of posting threats on Facebook to shoot students at Jones Dairy Elementary School. New conditions set Friday by Wake County District Court Judge Ned Mangum say that if Kochetkov posts bail he can’t come within a mile of Jones Dairy Elementary or possess real or replica firearms.
Philip Liles, Kochetkov’s court-appointed attorney, told Mangum that the release conditions might be a “moot” point because he’s not sure the family can afford the $200,000 secured bond. Kochetkov’s $100,000 bond for the misdemeanor charge of communicating threats was increased after a separate $100,000 bond was placed on him for the felony charge of making a false report concerning mass violence on educational property,
The new conditions bring relief to families who are worried about their children’s safety if he’s released. Parents had expressed worry at a community meeting Wednesday about Kochetkov being released and moving back into his mother’s home next to the school.
Vadim Kochetkov, Arthur’s brother, says the family has been looking into relocating him to another place in Wake Forest away from Jones Dairy.
Kochetkov remains in the Wake County jail. His next court date on the felony charge is Oct. 10.
According to arrest warrants, Kochetkov wrote on Facebook that he had “amassed an army big enough to slaughter all your Wake Forest kids in their local playground.”
The warrants also say that Kochetkov wrote on Facebook that he’ll “leave any local school side-district precinct with enough holes to puncture a (expletive) waterbed mattress” and that “I’m probably going to shoot up the local neighborhood kids.”
In a sign of how seriously the situation is being taken, the Town of Wake Forest says the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are among the groups “actively working this case.”
Vadim Kochetkov says that his brother is not violent and doesn’t have access to weapons. Wake Forest police say a search of Kochetkov’s residence on Wednesday didn’t find any firearms.
Mangum also left in place several existing conditions before Kochetkov can be released, including having to undergo a mental health evaluation, being monitored and prohibited from visiting any public or private school or from going on social media.
Fears have escalated to where the Wake County school system is paying for armed security on campus, students aren’t allowed on the playgrounds and some parents are talking about pulling their children from the school and selling their homes.
T. Keung Hui: 919-829-4534, @nckhui
This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 4:29 PM.