Judge: Cary man accused of threatening children unfit for trial, suffers from schizophrenia
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A man accused of threatening to shoot children in Cary suffers from schizophrenia and is not competent to move forward with his case, a judge ruled.
Kevin Douglas, 46, of Cary, was arrested on Nov. 1 at the Extended Stay America on 600 Weston Parkway in Cary on charges related to cyberstalking and communicating threats. Several of the threats seemed to target a day care center across the street from the motel where he lived.
Following his arrest, Douglas was sent to a federal facility to undergo a mental health screening.
Douglas' last mental health evaluation was in 2016. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia several times. WRAL News spoke with Douglas' mother, who said her son suffers from mental illness but has declined treatment in the past.
The results of the most recent screening show doctors determined Douglas suffers from schizophrenia.
As a result, a judge has ordered Douglas to undergo four months of treatment.
He is not due in court again until April.
The Raleigh Police Department, Cary Fire Department, Wake Regional SWAT team and FBI worked jointly on Nov. 1 to take Douglas into custody at the Extended Stay America.
During a news conference, U.S. Attorney Mike Easley said the fact that Douglas was so close to a daycare "raised our level of concern."
“We are in an era where people can very quickly mobilize toward violence," said Easley. "Where every threat is a threat we must take seriously ... we must be vigilant."
Douglas was released from federal prison in 2016 after being accused of threatening to kill someone at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., according to documents. The document explains that Douglas has a criminal history dating back to 2002 and includes offenses from multiple states.
Over the past 15 years, Douglas has been charged with cyberstalking three times in Wake County, but all of those cases were dismissed.
