A Kasilof man was arrested by FBI agents last week in connection to threats the man allegedly sent to people in Vermont.
Benjamin Clifford Tarbell was arrested Sept. 10, according to the case docket, and faces six counts of threatening interstate communications.
Tarbell moved to Alaska around April of 2021 from Vermont, according to an FBI special agent affidavit.
A resident of Kasilof, Tarbell began in August making threats to individuals in Vermont and others states, according to the FBI affidavit. The threats, made via text and Instagram messages, “escalated in violent tone,” the affidavit said.
Six threats made between Aug. 4 and Sept. 3 are described in the affidavit, including a September call from Tarbell to the Massachusetts State Police in which he allegedly threatened to bomb the agency.
The affidavit includes screenshots that appear to show Tarbell threatening to kill multiple people and some of their family members and show Tarbell saying he would be going to Burlington, Vermont. Flight records show Tarbell was confirmed to fly to Burlington on Sept. 11 from Kenai Municipal Airport, with stops in Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
“Clear out of there before the 11th do you understand,” Tarbell sent in one message, according to screenshots supplied in the affidavit.
Four out of five witnesses identified in the affidavit said they believed Tarbell would follow through with his threats.
An order of detention pending hearing or trial was signed on Sept. 15, according to the case docket. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in Anchorage Courtroom 5, according to the docket.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
