Shane Gobeil (left) allegedly threatened to ‘kill a lot of people’ in the tiny Northeast Kingdom town of Canaan if a drag queen show is held at one of its schools, court records say.
By Guy Page
On June 13, Shane Gobeil of Canaan allegedly told people at a Stewartstown, NH store he would ‘kill a lot of people’ at a Canaan school if it ever held a drag queen show with his children present, New Hampshire court documents say. The threat led to his arrest on harrassment charges by New Hampshire police.
“Within a week after Gobeil was trespassed from Canaan, VT school property, for harrassing/intimidating students, other parents, and staff regarding mask recommendations, Gobeil communicated to people inside Solomon’s Store a threat to kill a lot of people at Canaan school, and he expressed concern about a potential ‘drag queen show,’” court records say.
Gobeil does not face charges in Vermont, because the event occurred in New Hampshire. However, a Vermont judge Thomas Devine on June 15 granted Essex County State’s Attorney Vince Illuzzi’s petition for a six-month civil order for extreme risk protection, according to Vermont court documents.
Both his New Hampshire bail conditions and the Vermont extreme risk protection order prevent him from possessing firearms. The Vermont order also prohibits him from “purchasing, possessing, or receiving a dangerous weapon.”
Gobeil doesn’t own a gun, court records say. The order does not check the box requiring him to relinquish any dangerous weapon in his possession – presumably because according to court documents, Gobeil does not possess a weapon.
As well as not owning any guns, Gobeil is not “Brady disqualified” from owning one under federal gun laws – although he does have a Class B felony assault conviction on his record. Neither was his threat to kill students necessarily deemed “imminent,” court records say. However, he reportedly said he “intended to exercise his right to own firearms” (Vermont state police say in court documents) if his children are exposed to ‘transgender and drag queens’ at Canaan schools.
In his court petition for the extreme risk protection order, Illuzzi argued that the threat posed by Gobeil did not need to be imminent for the order to be necessary and granted. Under the circumstances, what matters is that his access to firearms is imminent, the prosecutor argued.
“Once Respondent learns that there are already transgender students attending Canaan schools, the risk posed by Respondent’s ability to possess a firearm is imminent because Respondent may purchase or otherwise obtain firearms,” Illuzzi wrote.
Gobeil is out on bail and will face the charges against him in New Hampshire court in August.