Kentucky Man Arrested After Halloween Display Depicts Officials

A man’s Halloween decorations have landed him behind bars after police say his front yard featured fake body bags labeled with the names of local officials, creating what authorities described as a threatening display.

Arrest Made Following "Threatening" Yard Display In Powell County

According to Kentucky State Police, 58-year-old Stephan Marcum of Powell County was arrested Saturday and charged with terroristic threatening after Commonwealth’s Attorney Miranda King reported the disturbing display to law enforcement.

“This is something you just don’t see every day,” said Powell County Judge Executive Eddie Barnes. “At first I didn’t know what to think about it because I actually drove by and [saw] it in his yard and I was thinking, wow, that’s kinda harsh.”

Community Reacts to Controversial Halloween Scene

Residents passing Marcum’s home on Court Street saw multiple fake bodies with tags identifying local leaders. Barnes said he’s known Marcum for decades and described him as “a good person,” but said he disagreed with how Marcum chose to express his frustration.
The decorations were seized by police and taken to Kentucky State Police Post 8 in Morehead as evidence.

Powell County Officials

Experts Weigh In on Free Speech and Threats

University of Kentucky political science associate professor Stephen Voss said that while free speech is protected under the First Amendment, threats are not.

“If you’re actively threatening someone in a terrorizing way, that may not be covered by the general right to free expression,” Voss explained.

He added that growing political tensions have made the public less tolerant of violent imagery. “A display or statement that might have been taken as a joke in the past may not be seen as funny or innocent these days.”

Marcum is being held at the Powell County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.