Mom's Remarks Over Face Masks Lead to Charges

A Virginia mom who insists she wasn't trying to threaten anyone with her remarks at a local school board meeting this week has been charged. CBS News reports that on Thursday, the board for Page County Schools convened a special meeting to vote on Gov. Glenn Youngkin's recent executive order giving parents control over whether or not their kids wear face masks to school. One parent, 42-year-old Amelia King, got up to take her three minutes at the mic during the public-comments part of the meeting, and when she was told her time was up, things got "confrontational," per CNN.

"My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on," King can be heard informing the board members in a video posted by WUSA (her full speech can be seen here). "All right? That's not happening. And I will bring every single gun loaded and ready to ... I will call every..." At that point, one of the board members again tells King that her time is up, to which she replies, "I'll see y'all on Monday," before leaving the room. King's remarks soon went viral online, with many wondering why no action had been taken against her. That changed after school officials contacted police, who started a probe and flagged state and federal officials, reports the Washington Post.

The Luray Police Department says King has since been charged with making an oral threat on school property. "The statement that was made absolutely caused public alarm, the parent that made the statement realized that, and immediately contacted law enforcement to apologize because the statement was not intended the way it was perceived," the police department said in a statement. "I was speaking figuratively," King wrote in a later email sent to the board, per CNN. School district officials say there will be increased police presence at all schools in the district on Monday, which is when Youngkin's order is set to go into effect. The board did vote 4-2 to allow parents to make the choice regarding masks. The police department notes King has been released on a $5,000 bond. (More threats stories.)