Inset: Christopher Curtis (Randolph County Sheriff’s Office). Background: President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
A West Virginia man vowed to “cleanse the earth from people like Donald Trump” and was deemed a “credible threat” by officials in his hometown, as well as the mayor — whom he also threatened, according to cops.
Christopher Curtis, 44, is facing a charge of threats of terroristic acts in connection with statements he made this week about the president and Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, according to The Inter-Mountain.
A criminal complaint obtained by the local newspaper says Curtis was fired from his City Water Department job on Wednesday, July 8, and “began making threats” against Marco and Trump. Witnesses overheard what he was saying and saw Curtis acting like “he was splitting the president’s head open” with a pipe wrench, according to the complaint.
It’s unclear why Curtis was terminated.
“I was put on this earth to help cleanse the earth from people like Donald Trump,” Curtis allegedly stated. Local CBS affiliate WDTV reports that Curtis, describing the president’s head, suggested he would “split it open” and referred to Marco as a “marked man” while shouting “profanities and threats.”
Curtis’ alleged comments and actions led to all city offices being locked down.
“The mayor and his staff deemed the defendant to be a credible threat to the City of Elkins employees,” the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office says in a press release.
Multiple statements were taken from witnesses about what Curtis was doing and saying, according to the sheriff’s office. He was arrested around 2 p.m. Wednesday after leaving the fire department.
“An emergency ping was also placed upon the defendant’s cellphone in an attempt to locate him,” the RCSO release says.
Curtis pleaded not guilty, according to online records. He is due to appear in court on July 14 for a preliminary hearing.
