Texas church security team member arrested for faking shooter threat claim
A member of a security team for a church in Texas has been arrested and charged with making a false report to police when he allegedly lied about a shooter threat to the congregation.
The incident was first reported on Oct. 6 involving the Church at the Epicenter, a non-denominational assembly in Burnet County, about 45 miles northwest of Austin.
The safety team member — later identified as Jacob Wayne Tarver, 45, of Burnet County — claimed that he confronted two suspicious males outside the church. However, later, the investigation concluded that he had fabricated the incident.
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Pastor Kyle Byrd, founder and senior leader of The Epicenter, said what began as "a normal day" soon turned after an associate minister informed Byrd about "some issues taking place outside the building."
"We went on with our service and didn't even announce anything, just went on with normal business," Byrd told The Christian Post by phone Monday. "At the end of the service, I was given the report that there was evidently an effort that had been made to do harm and destruction to our people."
According to Byrd, Tarver "had noticed some questionable behavior around the building and went out of the parking lot to see if he could explore what was happening when he encountered a man" who was described by Tarver as "wearing a shiny white shirt with khaki pants wearing headgear."
Tarver said he encountered the man as he was walking away from "where rocks had been stacked in front of our exit door to the worship center," Byrd told CP.
Tarver has been charged with false report to induce an emergency response, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and deadly conduct, Burnet County Sheriff's Office announced in a statement Monday. He was sent to the Burnet County Jail.
Tarver reportedly told police that he fired several shots at the two suspicious men before they fled the church campus in a white minivan.
In an update, Burnet County officials reported that "the safety team member who had fired the shots admitted that he had fabricated significant details of this incident and had lied to law enforcement and others about this incident."
"There were no hostile actions taken or directed at the church by any persons, and no weapons brandished toward the church or the safety team member. At no time was the safety of the congregation in jeopardy," stated local authorities.
"Please remain alert for actual threats to public safety and continue to report suspicious activity to the proper authorities. That said, do not give in to the unfounded fears that are a result of this false story."
Tarver remains jailed and awaits a hearing to set bail.
Upon learning of the arrest of a member of his church's security team, Byrd told CP, "We're devastated. We have no answers as to why that has or even would happen. But our heart breaks for him."
Michael Gryboski contributed to this story.
