Man allegedly threatened school shooting in texts

A man who allegedly threatened to shoot up a Flathead Valley school earlier this week is being held behind bars on multiple charges.

Robert Arnold Brown, 36, faces a felony count of intimidation and a misdemeanor charge of assault with a bodily fluid. He was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on May 9, according to jail records.

Prosecutors alleged in charging documents that Brown text messaged his sister about his intention to go on a shooting. She turned those messages over to deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office as well as his workplace and vehicle.

According to court documents, one of the messages stated: “I am about to shoot up a [expletive] school are you hearing me…”

A specific school was not identified in court documents.

Deputies arrested Brown in Columbia Falls and took him to the county jail, court documents said. Once there, Brown allegedly spat in the face of a detention center officer.

The Washington Post counts 21 school shootings across the nation thus far in 2023, though only one involving multiple fatalities. The Covenant School in Nashville saw six killed — three students and three adults — in a March 27 shooting.

Brown was expected to appear before Judge Danni Coffman on May 15 for his arraignment.

Intimidation carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine. Assault with a bodily fluid is punishable by a year of imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.