A Richland Hills man is back in the Hurst jail after going near an elementary school that he allegedly threatened in text messages to his former wife in January.
Alexius Tavo, 29, went to his son's school, Donna Park Elementary School, on Wednesday even though an emergency protective order prohibited from coming near any Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District campus, facility or event.
The school district said he arrived near campus with his former wife.
"He was in a parked car 160 feet away from the school," district spokeswoman Judy Ramos said. "He was not to come within 200 feet."
Under his former wife's protective order, Tavo was not to be within 200 feet of the school or any other district campus, facility or event.
"We absolutely took his threats seriously," Ramos said. "Student and staff safety is our top priority. Students can't learn [and] teachers can't teach if they're not safe."
Tavo was taken into custody at about 11 a.m. He had been released from the Hurst jail just last week after being in custody for 45 days following his arrest in January on threats against his former wife.
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According to a Hurst police report, Tavo's former wife agreed in January to take him to the Tarrant County Courthouse but changed her mind he began to text her threatening messages, including threats against the school.
According to the document, one of the texts said:
"I will get a machine gun soon. Get a bunch of bullets then goin to (redacted) school and murdering as many ppl as possible. Kids and all."
Another text said:
"This is the last u hear from me. Change (redacted) schools. Cuz soon im gonna go to his school walk in start unloading. Never look back. ... I (expletive) hate you more than ever. And im gonna put a letter in my pocket saying this your fault."
In an interview with police, Tavo said he couldn't recall sending some of the text messages. He said he drank 10 40-ounce beers in an eight-hour span and smoked marijuana on Jan. 16, the day they were sent.
The report said Tavo admitted he normally sent his ex threatening messages:
"Several times he pointed to the photographs of the text messages and said this is normal and that was how they argued. But when I asked if it was normal for him to threaten to murder people and shoot people at a school, he said it was not. He admitted he had threatened to kill (redacted) before when arguing. He also admitted to threatening to kill himself. He said he was suicidal and wanted help."
Police say Tavo cried throughout the interview in January, but that said he did not say anything Wednesday about why he was at the school.
Ramos said parents were notified last week, when Tavo was set to be released, that a threat had been made against the school. Ramos said a Hurst police officer has been at the school each day since then as a precaution.
Parents said they had received the letter but were disappointed they didn't get more information.
"I understand why they didn't give a whole lot of detail, don't want everybody panicking," Amanda Jackson said. "It would be nice to know earlier, but then I would have just worried for a month."
Jackson, who has a child at the school, said she was a little unnerved to hear Tavo had shown up at school on Wednesday.
"You have to send your kids to school, but now I don't want to," she said.
Tavo is being held on a $150,000 bond for charges of violating a protective order and making terroristic threat.
In January, Tavo was only charged with threatening his former wife, but Sgt. Craig Teague said the department has been investigating the second charge.
"We've had some parents come up and voice their concerns and their reasoning," Teague said. "We since have met with district attorney's office, and we're going to try and proceed on with a charge for the school itself."
Teague said the terroristic threat charge was filed on Wednesday afternoon. Officers will continue to have a presence around the school in question even though Tavo is in jail, he said.
Police documents say the FBI has been notified about the threats. They also say that Tavo does not have direct access to a firearm but knows people who have access to weapons.
The police report also indicates that Tavo has a lengthy criminal record and was arrested in January on outstanding warrants from Bedford.
