EVERETT — An Everett man who claimed aliens were telling him to assassinate the governor is behind bars.
The man, 50, was arrested late last week for investigation of making threats to Gov. Chris Gregoire.
The threat was contained in a letter the man reportedly wrote to the state office of administrative hearings in Seattle. It wasn’t clear in court papers what the man was seeking in his letter.
The message was forwarded to the Washington State Patrol unit that provides security for the governor.
The man wrote that he has been having hallucinations and that aliens are telling him to assassinate the governor, according to court papers.
Detectives on Friday evening showed up at the man’s apartment on Broadway in north Everett.
He told the investigators that aliens were telling him to assassinate the governor, and he included the information in his letter because he wanted officials to pay attention to his claim.
As he was being taken to the jail, the man allegedly told authorities: “Maybe going to jail is a good thing. They’ll think I’m (expletive) crazy and I will get my Social Security.”
Bob Calkins, a Washington State Patrol spokesman, said the agency takes all threats made on the governor seriously.
“It’s neither rare nor frequent,” Calkins said. “These come around from time to time. We evaluate anything that can be a threat.”
The Everett man’s claim that he’s been in communication with aliens does not diminish the need to take the threat seriously, Calkins said.
“It is still a crime to threaten the governor,” he said. “Even someone we all agree needs help has the ability to commit an act.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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