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FILE PHOTO \u00a9 Reuters \/ Toby Melville<\/p><\/div>\n
Wichita, Kansas Mayor Brandon Whipple has revealed a man was placed under arrest on suspicion of plotting to kidnap and kill the politician over frustrations with Covid-19 restrictions across the city.<\/p>\n
Meredith Dowty, 59, was booked on Friday evening and could face a charge of a criminal threat over a series of text messages threatening the mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was going to kidnap me and slash my throat and he needed my address because I needed to see the hangman \u2014 me and everyone who, something about tyranny,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Whipple told reporters.<\/p>\n The mayor said the suspect expressed his outrage over\u00a0\u201cmask mandates\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as well as not being able to see his mother, who is in a nursing home, most of which have visiting restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n The text messages were reportedly received by another city official and then reported to the police. No other city officials are believed to have been targeted.<\/p>\n Dowty, a retired firefighter, is a local musician who performs under the name \u2018Cathead.\u2019<\/p>\n Like many cities in the US, Wichita requires face coverings in most public areas in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n Whipple said the fact that the texts were sent to someone with knowledge of his address make the threat credible and he will have increased security precautions moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t just some guy popping off on social media,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the mayor said.\u00a0\u201cHe contacted someone that knows where I live that apparently he thought would give him my address.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The threats against Whipple follow multiple individuals involved in a militia being arrested for an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in protest of Covid-19 restrictions across the state.<\/p>\n