(Picture credit John Gage)
Ean Halstead, the man who threatened to shoot up the high school that Governor Jim Pillen’s grandchildren attend in Columbus, will be headed to trial.
Halstead waived a preliminary hearing, and he is set to face trial for two felony charges, including making terroristic threats as well as tampering with physical evidence. If convicted, he would face a maximum of five years in prison.
The Nebraska State Patrol announced its arrest of Halstead last month following a standoff at his Omaha apartment. Halstead allegedly wrote online under the pseudonym “Bobby McGee” that he was going to “shoot up this school and kill Jim Pillen’s children and a few nuns for f—ing funsies.”
Court records reveal Halstead has a long history of making terroristic threats, including allegations from his ex-boyfriend that he threatened to kill him and chased him with a butcher knife. The ex-boyfriend filed for a protective order in 2022.
Social media accounts reveal Halstead identifies as a “socialist” and a “pagan” and has interest in the occult. He was also the board member for an Omaha LGBT nonprofit as late as 2024.
In 2023, he testified against a bill in the Nebraska Legislature introduced by State Senator Dave Murman that would have banned minors from attending drag shows. In his testimony, he criticized what he said was the “indoctrination of sexuality” by straight, Christian men.
Pillen said in a statement following Halstead’s arrest that he found “peace and comfort” in the State Patrol’s quick response to the threat.
Case is Test of Legal System
Halstead’s trial comes as Nebraska judges are facing criticism from the public, law enforcement, and lawmakers over letting violent, mentally ill suspects out of prison.
Several high profile cases in Omaha have involved judges saying they had no option but to allow violent offenders walk free, citing Nebraska statute that dictates defendants who successfully claim insanity receive “the least restrictive treatment plan that is in the interest of the defendant and the public.”
It is unclear if Halstead will get released on these grounds, but similar cases have allowed violent offenders to avoid jail time.
Pillen, earlier this spring, called for changes in Nebraska’s law following a stabbing in Omaha by a mentally ill woman, saying the Legislature needed “to fix” the law as soon as possible. County Sheriff Aaron Hanson and State Senator Kathleen Kauth have told The Plains Sentinel they are working with stakeholders on a change.
— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.