Douglasville Police Department confirmed that they had filed criminal charges against Terresha Lucas, a Georgia woman who posed as a Ku Klux Klan member to threaten community members with “racially charged” notes in the neighborhood.
What Yahoo described as “an unexpected turn of events” as Lucas, 30, a black woman, has been putting anonymous noted in mailboxes, threatening to burn down homes and kill their occupants, describing themselves as “a six-feet-tall white male with a long, red beard who did not live in the neighborhood.”
Officials noted the messages began in December, resuming in the spring, prompting a renewed investigation.
The detectives were able to determine the letters being sent all had similar handwriting, tone, verbiage, and other consistencies that suggested they were all written by one person.
“By mid-March, we really didn’t have anything to go on,” explained Detectives Nathan Shumaker who spent months going door-to-door while investigating the case.
The newest messages in September, particularly on Labor Day, were linked back to Lucas, leading to police obtaining a search warrant. Then, during a search of Lucas’ home, detectives reportedly found even more evidence connecting the woman to the incidents.
Lucas was charged with eight counts of making terroristic threats and is expected to turn herself into jail this week. The motives for her actions remain a mystery.
“Our investigators had the drive to stick with this case and see it all to the end,” said Police Chief Dr. Gary Sparks. “That’s what we’re all about and this reflects the professionalism and integrity of the department”.
“They stayed with it and put in a lot of hours. Even when some people went to the media, which could have hampered our investigation, we still stuck with it to the end,” the chief added.
