WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A man arrested outside of Fayetteville Creative School last month was found with a gun in his backpack and claimed he was performing a “religious ritual.”
Samuel Gray Lindsey, 23, was arrested on charges of obstructing governmental operations, loitering and carrying a weapon on April 13 just outside of the school, which serves students that are preschool or kindergarten age.
Officers were dispatched to Fayetteville Creative School that morning for an extra patrol after a caller raised concerns that Lindsey would go to the school to pick up his girlfriend’s child without permission.
The caller requested extra patrol for 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., which a police report said were dismissal times at the school.
Officers said that Lindsey was covering his face and wouldn’t respond to questioning. “I immediately found his posture to be suspicious,” said one of the officers in their report.
“He had one hand covering his face with his fingers spread out. He appeared to be staring through the webs of his fingers toward the school and was unphased by my vehicle passing by him.”
Lindsey claimed that the behavior was part of a religious ritual.
The suspect denied being Samuel Lindsey and was unwilling to answer questions.
Lindsey was detained after his description matched that of a misdemeanor warrant out of West Fork. After refusing to identify himself, he was placed under arrest.
A police report noted that Lindsey said the officers were complicit with the kidnapping of his child.
Lindsey was taken to the Fayetteville Police Department where he spoke with a detective.
A detective with the Fayetteville police said he was familiar with Lindsey from a previous discussion with his father Lyndy, and that Lindsey’s family was concerned about his “deteriorating mental health.”
“According to Samuel, he does not operate in the secular world and that he is a mouthpiece for God in his world,” the detective’s report said. “Samuel also mentioned that the judicial system is different in his world. When asked about why he carried firearms, Samuel said he felt like he was in constant need of protection. The firearms were defensive, not offensive.”
The report noted that Lindsey said he was never intending to harm anyone, especially children.
“At the end of the interview, Samuel had been moved to tears and told me he knew he needed help but was scared to ask for it,” the report added.
Officers say that Lindsey was taken to the Washington County Detention Center and was later transported to a mental health care facility after an involuntary commitment order had been signed.
The detective wrote in their report that an additional incident was shared with them after Lindsey’s arrest.
On April 20, Fayetteville police received a phone call from Twitter Headquarters in San Francisco and informed them that Lindsey had been to their building weeks prior and made claims that the CEO owed him money.
No specific threats were made, but Lindsey did identify himself as “Manson.”
A representative from Twitter told police that Lindsey’s TikTok account showed him with a firearm.
Twitter has reportedly asked about a trespassing order.
