MARYSVILLE, Calif. — A man was arrested for making criminal threats involving hate speech against two coaches for the Marysville Joint Unified School District.
On Feb. 20, the Marysville Police Department said 53-year-old Todd Andrew Tyler from Browns Valley left several threatening messages on two coaches' phones.
According to police, the messages were threatening, racial toward the Black victim and homophobic.
Police say Tyler appeared to be upset with the coaches about his child's position in a game.
On Feb. 22 just before 7:30 a.m., officers stopped Tyler at Highway 20 and East 22nd Street and took him into custody without incident.
According to police, "a search of Tyler's vehicle revealed a .45 caliber handgun with two loaded magazines located in the center console."
Following the investigation, Tyler was booked into jail on charges including criminal threats, hate speech involving threats and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.
The Marysville Joint Unified School District (MJUSD) released the following statement regarding the incident:
We were informed that disturbing messages had been sent to two of our coaches from a parent. The purposeful use of hate speech to threaten and intimidate our staff members will not be tolerated. MJUSD takes these threats seriously as the safety of our staff, students, and our community is of the utmost importance. Any form of threats, hateful intimidation, overt racism, and other forms of discrimination should immediately be reported to the Marysville Police Department for further investigation. Reports of bullying, harassment, or other forms of verbal and/or physical abuse may also be shared anonymously with district officials via the MJUSD website. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage our community members to speak up so that we may keep our schools and community safe and thank the MPD for their quick response to this incident."
