Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-eight-year-old Kentucky man's Halloween decorations depicting local officials in body bags landed him behind bars on terroristic threatening charges. Here's what may have happened.
On Saturday, Stephan Marcum was arrested by Kentucky State Troopers in Stanton after placing what he called Halloween decorations in his Court Street front yard. The display featured five fake bodies wrapped in garbage bags, each labeled with titles of local officials.
The most disturbing element was one effigy hanging from an elevated position with a rope around the neck, clearly labeled "District Judge." The four remaining bodies were arranged from left to right, marked as "Mayor," "SIS," "C.A.," and "Zoning Mgr."
Commonwealth's Attorney Miranda King reported the yard display to Kentucky State Police after community members expressed alarm. One official stated, "This is something you just don't see every day. At first I didn't know what to think about it because I actually drove by and saw it in his yard and I'm thinking you know, wow, you know, that's kinda harsh."
The decorations appeared shortly after a September thirtieth court hearing where Marcum learned he had "violated a number of City Ordinances." When authorities approached him about the display, he "did not want to speak with us about the Halloween decorations he had in his yard" and refused to remove them.
Police collected all five fake bodies and transported them to Kentucky State Police Post Eight in Morehead as evidence. One trooper described the scene, noting "There was one body that was being hung from an elevated position. The one hanging was labeled District Judge. There was a rope around the neck of this body."
Officials emphasized public safety concerns, with one stating, "This day in time we don't know what people are going to do" and "If you're going to express yourself don't do it in a way that could be harmful to others or threatening to others."
When Marcum appeared in court on October seventh, the district judge recused himself from the case, postponing the arraignment. Bond was set at five thousand dollars.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.