Christopher Stowe, accused of threatening mass violence in San Antonio via the Tip411 system, faces serious charges; he’s under house arrest with a GPS monitor.
SAN ANTONIO — A local man is out of jail on bond after being accused of making repeated threats of mass violence in the San Antonio area.
Police said 31-year-old Christopher Stowe made multiple threats while using the city’s Tip411 reporting system, allegedly claiming he would kill people at a Spurs game, along the River Walk and other popular places.
The arrest affidavit details the string of messages that came into the Tip 411 system, which is a digital reporting platform that is supposed to be an anonymous forum.
But police say on Thanksgiving Day over a period of about five hours, the messages were violent enough that they acted immediately to protect public safety.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and they said they tracked the source of the messages to Stowe.
Court documents claim the digital fingerprints on the messages came from near Stowe’s work place on the northwest side and his home near Bandera and Guilbeau roads.
The affidavit reads “This location data was consistent and repeated across multiple threatening submissions and could not reasonably be explained by coincidence, random proximity or shared public access.”
The affidavit details the first tip was received at 1pm.
The message started out with the quote “I’m going to kill people. I don’t want to but can’t help it.”
After a paragraph of reasoning, the message concludes with “I’m going to kill people unless the police kill me first.”
During the 6 p.m. hour, police allege there were five additional threats, most related to the Thanksgiving holiday…. including a quote “It’s Thanksgiving for Christ’s sake. People cannot act better,” along with “Society has collapsed. I’m going to ****ing kill everyone.”
Minutes later, the affidavit alleges the next message detailed threats of mass killings at the River Walk and a Spurs game.
In a desperate summary of frustration with life, the affidavit reads “I have nothing. I’m never gonna have anything, no retirement, no work,” closing with “This is not a threat. This is a Christ damn promise.”
There are different levels of terror threat charges in Texas. This one is a third-degree felony with a possible penalty range of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 upon conviction.
The Bexar County criminal justice portal indicates this is Stowe’s first arrest in Bexar County. KENS 5 asked San Antonio police for calls for service to his home address for the past six months and there are no criminal complaints on record.
Stowe posted a $50,000 bond and the judge ordered full house arrest with a GPS monitor while he awaits his next court setting, which is scheduled for February.