He was arrested April 2, after several notes were found at a Costco and officers reviewed security footage that showed a man, later identified as Watley, leaving a note in the store, the complaint alleged.
Mitchell Thomas Watley, right, listens to his attorney Nick Polasky before a scheduled court hearing on April 11, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. A hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday for Watley was pushed to April 21. The first notes were found March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility. That prompted the school district and law enforcement agencies to take heightened security measures, according to the complaint. Police have also said that prior to the reports, there were plans for an additional police presence at schools"due to national rallies/attention to recent school violence incidents.
"Officers spoke to Mitchell, who said that he was in fear of the recent transgender school shooter and took it upon himself to print out and distribute these leaflets," according to the complaint.The notes appeared during a period of increasingly hostile rhetoric, amid legislative proposals and laws targeting transgender people across the country. They were found days after a school shooting in Nashville that left six dead.
Watley is known for illustrating several children's books written by his wife, including"I Would Tuck You In" and"You Are Home With Me." Their publisher, Sasquatch Books, owned by Penguin Random House, last week said it has ended its publishing relationship with Watley and would discontinue selling their books.
Grow up ,we have freedoms of expressions
Of course it's pushed back because they have no right to do this to this guy and they have to find a new strategy. It's really sad we live in a country that's supposed to have freedom of speech and freedom of choice but now if you use those things they fire you