Man In Custody, Accused Of Threatening Acts Of Violence After Leaving Letters Across Oklahoma

A man accused of leaving threatening notes all over the country, including the metro, will face charges in Stephens County. 

Thomas Ryan Krech is undergoing a mental evaluation after Oklahoma City police arrested him following a traffic stop.

Stephens County prosecutors filed felony charges Thursday, August 22, 24 hours after two notes surfaced there.

According to Stephens County Sheriff Wayne Mckinney, they acted swiftly -- believing the crimes were escalating.

“I don't want to sit here and wish we would have done something,” said Sheriff Mckinney.

Sheriff Mckinney believes Krech may have committed the unthinkable had he not been stopped.

News 9’s Sylvia Corkill asked, “Do you think this had the potential to possible snowball into some of the instances we've seen throughout the county?”  

“There's no doubt in my mind,” said Sheriff Mckinney. “Just recently in the news, we see all kinds of possible mass shooters or people who are bent on doing something severe injury to people.”

“A lot of them had notes, a lot of them leave telltale signs on Facebook or make statements to other people,” continued Sheriff McKinney.

After leaving a note at a Deer Creek home, then at a church in SW Oklahoma City, Mckinney said Krech continued to write and deliver a string of disturbing letters.

One was delivered to a home near Bray-Doyle, Oklahoma that read, "I Ryan, am The Lord Your God! I have driven on your land and have been in your house! I sentence you to the most amount of horror and pain of anyone!"

Then, one was delivered 12 miles away at a church, where a cinder block was thrown through the front door.

“One of the first things that did cross my mind was a bombing of a church, the way things were going, how he was targeting these churches,” said Sheriff McKinney.

That note read, " You are no pastor to my people! I am thirsty for your blood and will consume you."

And while a motive remains unknown, Sheriff Mckinney hopes to get to the bottom of it.

“Something triggered that event, so maybe something traumatic in that persons background or life, something recent maybe we will know the answers hopefully we will,” said Sheriff Mckinney.

Krech is facing a string of charges, including threatening an act of violence and defacing a house of worship.