A 33-year-old Indiana man who threatened Taylor Swift has been arrested and faces charges of harassment, stalking, intimidation and invasion of privacy, reports the Times of Northwest Indiana.
The charging document obtained by the paper says that Mitchell Taebel posted a voice message to his Instagram account that he’d sent to Taylor’s official Instagram, saying he would “happily wear a bomb if he cannot be with his soulmate.” The next day he left a message for Taylor’s father, claiming to be her soulmate.
Police said that on April 5, he allegedly sent a photo to her Instagram of someone firing a gun at a gun range, along with the threatening message about her upcoming concert: “If today there is the sexual performance of [‘Vigilante S****’], you can be sure that we will destroy you and all the other dancers and [Taylor Swift] too.”
Taebel went to Nashville on May 5 and entered a building he believed Taylor lived in through an unsecured door. According to police, when stopped by security, Taebel “stated he was a great-looking, well-dressed, popular TV host,” and asked them to let Taylor know that he was in the lobby. When police were called, he allegedly fled.
Later that day, he showed up at Taylor’s Nashville concert, where he was recognized and removed. He was booked into an Indiana jail on Friday, the paper reports. A plea of not guilty has been entered on his behalf, and his bond is set at more than $15,000.
Taylor’s team had obtained a temporary restraining order against Taebel on May 13, and it was extended to May 24.
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