A man from Michigan, who was facing a potential sentence of over 20 years for making threats to kill his daughter’s teachers by setting their school ablaze, managed to evade incarceration on Tuesday. Thomas Latting, aged 38, was sentenced to eight years of probation after entering a no contest plea to four felony charges, which included ethnic intimidation, making an intentional threat of violence against a school, and two counts related to false reports of terrorism and bomb threats.

The threats made by Latting were part of a racially charged outburst stemming from his frustration over an after-school activity concluding earlier than he anticipated. The incident took place in February, during which Latting expressed his anger towards an after-school teacher at McMonagle Elementary School located in Mt. Morris Township. According to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, Latting’s tirade included multiple uses of racial slurs, culminating in a direct threat to the school staff.

The situation escalated when Latting declared, “I’m going to come back and kill all of you and burn this [expletive] to the ground,” while gesturing towards the school and its personnel. The targeted teacher took these threats seriously, prompting her to report the incident to the local school superintendent and the Mt. Morris Police Department. This led to further notifications to the FBI Threat Center and the Michigan State Police Intelligence Center. Notably, Latting’s history includes a 2009 conviction for arson, which adds a layer of concern regarding the seriousness of his threats.