ELY— A 47-year-old Ely man is facing criminal charges after posting multiple death threats against law enforcement officers on social media in response to an imminent eviction notice delivered on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Ely Police and St. Louis County Sheriff’s deputies arrested John Melvin Fenske on Oct. 14 after he posted a flood of messages to his Facebook account threatening to kill law enforcement and “commit mass murder,” according to Ely Assistant Chief of Police Mike Lorenz. Fenske was booked into the county jail in Virginia and arraigned on Monday for making terroristic threats, a felony that carries maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Escalation to violent intent
Community Loan Servicing, LLC bought the residential property at 615 E Wilson St. in Ely at a St. Louis County Sheriff’s tax sale in February after John and Tracey Fenske defaulted on their mortgage. The couple was reportedly separated at the time.
John Fenske was given six months to bring the payments current but failed to do so, and formal eviction proceedings were initiated in August.
Fenske vented his increasing angst with the situation on his Facebook account. Facing possible disconnection of his utilities last week, a post on Oct. 12 warned, “So if my electricity gets Shut Off I can almost GUARANTEE my sturdy built House will accidentally Burn down to the Bedrock ground.”
But after a notice to vacate the property within 24 hours, or be forcefully removed if necessary, was posted on his door at 1:05 p.m., Oct. 13, Fenske’s violent comments began to escalate. At 2:26 p.m. that same day, Fenske posted a picture of the notice along with the comment, “I HATE AMERICA AND EVERYONE IN IT. SEE YOU TOMORROW.” The first general threat appeared an hour later: “Heads are gonna ROLL WHERE ARE MY GUNS WHEN I NEED THEM?”
His posts grew increasingly erratic with comments ranging from political conspiracy theories to Dr. Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide to pictures of actor Ed Norton with a huge black swastika on his bare chest from the 1998 neo-Nazi-themed movie “American History X.”
Then, early on the morning of Friday, Oct. 14, Penske posted his first direct violent death threat against law enforcement at 5:33 a.m.: “I really really wish I had my GUNS ID be on the Rooftop already Taking Aim at Law Enforcement coming to forcefully remove me.” Four minutes later he posted, “I’m tempted to Booby Trap the Front Door So that guy dies first and then the rest will know I mean BUSINESS. Beware if there’s a Swastika that will be your Warning Sign. Oh, look I’m way ahead of you.”
By the time Lorenz received a call from a concerned citizen at about 8:30 a.m. alerting him to the posts, Fenske had posted to Facebook around 60 more times, including more death threats and threats of arson directed at law enforcement. In one post, Fenske said he was “outta METH SO IM REALLY GONNA BE ON EDGE to hurt someone.” In another he wrote, “Sorry I have to hurt you I’m just doing God’s work.”
Shortly thereafter, Fenske said he was going to sleep, and when he resumed posting shortly after 1:30 p.m., he appeared resigned to his eviction.
“I’m civilized I just need to ask for a little time,” he wrote in one post. At 6:27 p.m. he wrote, “I waited around all day and nobody showed up. I’m not gonna pack up my sh_t if I don’t have to leave and I need more time to get out if I do have to leave. I need to run some errands. Get myself out of this house for awhile. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get my answer ORE Maybe NEVER.”
Ely Police and St. Louis County deputies arrived at the residence at 9:15 p.m. and took Fenske into custody without incident.
Additional information
At Fenske’s initial hearing on Monday, Assistant County Attorney Christopher Florey asked that Fenske’s bail be set at $40,000, asserting that despite his minimal criminal history “public safety concerns exist – including concerns for the Defendant’s well-being.”
Florey noted an ongoing review by unspecified “state” officials seeking harassment charges against Fenske for social media posts targeting two teenage girls and Fenske’s desire to date or have sex with them. In a conversation with a deputy, Fenske allegedly said he was not interested in chemical dependence intervention despite daily marijuana and methamphetamine use. He also allegedly said he had contemplated suicide, which is backed up by multiple posts on his Facebook account.
Florey also said that, “Comprehensive and diagnostic assessments may be appropriate at this time, which could aid in finding an appropriate placement for Mr. Fenske.”
Fenske’s next scheduled court appearance is Oct. 24, via Zoom.
(Information for this report was compiled from various district court case documents, an Ely Police Department press release, and a review of Fenske’s social media account. Only one of Fenske’s threatening posts had been flagged and blocked by Facebook community standards monitors.)