Threat to kidnap and kill Wichita mayor over COVID-19 mask mandate
Posted: 2020, Oct 19, Mon, 10:18 pm
https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-go ... 13655.htmlA Wichita man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple over frustrations with the city’s mask ordinance, the mayor and police said Friday afternoon.
Meredith Dowty, 59, was booked into Sedgwick County Jail at 6:05 p.m., Friday, booking reports show.
The apparent motive was the suspect’s opposition to “masks and tyranny,” Whipple said.
“He said he was going to kidnap me and slash my throat and he needed my address because I needed to see the hangman — me and everyone who, something about tyranny,” Whipple said.
The suspect is a well-known local musician who performs under the name “Cathead” and has played numerous gigs in the Wichita bar and nightclub scene, said Joe Stumpe, a musician and former Eagle reporter.
Dowty is a retired Wichita city firefighter