California man threatened to bomb schools in Virginia over reopening plans, feds say
A 27-year-old man in California threatened to bomb school buildings on the opposite side of the country using his personal Facebook account, according to federal prosecutors.
The threats reportedly surfaced during a Virginia school district’s discussion about whether to reopen this fall.
Lucas Isaiah Newton-Grant, of Rancho Mirage, California, was arrested Tuesday and will be sent to the Western District of Virginia to face charges of communicating interstate threats, prosecutors said in a news release.
He previously lived in the Charlottesville area, according to the release.
Under the Facebook name “Lucas Newton-Grant,” prosecutors said he “threatened to become the next ‘serial bomber’ ” as the Charlottesville City Schools board weighed the risk of the coronavirus against reopening schools for in-person instruction.
The school board live-streamed that discussion July 6 on Facebook.
Prosecutors said Newton-Grant’s comments — which included wanting to “blow those buildings up” — were made July 7. He then goaded law enforcement to “come after me” when someone warned him about making online threats, saying “they’ll be in for a pleasant surprise,” according to the news release.
“He further posted that ‘people will (expletive) die,’ ” the release states.
A spokesperson for Charlottesville City Schools sent a letter to families after Newton-Grant’s arrest, CBS19 reported.
“The threats were made in response to the schools’ discussion about possible fall learning plans. We appreciate law enforcement for taking action to maintain our safety,” the letter states, according to CBS19. “Threats against our schools will not be tolerated. While this suspect is in custody and there are no students and few staff in our buildings at this time, we always want to keep you informed about matters related to school safety.”
