Mitchell Lovelace, 27, of Festus was charged with a felony Monday (Dec. 6) for allegedly threatening to shoot Festus High School students.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged him with second-degree making a terrorist threat, a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
Lovelace was being held Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 7) on no bond in the Jefferson County Jail.
In a written statement, Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said someone called his office at about 10 p.m. Dec. 4 to report a threat posted on social media. The post said, “I’m going to shoot Festus High School students in the name of Kyle Rittenhouse.”
Rittenhouse had faced charges for shooting and killing two people in 2020 during unrest in Kenosha, Wisc., but he claimed self-defense and recently was acquitted of all charges during a trial that garnered national interest.
After Lovelace's alleged threat was reported to Festus Police, officers immediately went to his house nd arrested him, Lewis said.
He said his department notified Festus R-6 School District officials and resource officers and started “heightened patrol on the district campuses.”
A Festus R-6 spokesman said the district sent emails on Sunday (Dec. 5) to parents about the threat Sunday.