Anoka County Board challenger faces online threats

A candidate running for the Anoka County Board says he fears for his family's safety after violent threats that appear to have come from supporters of his opponent were posted online.

Kevin Landry, who is running for the First District seat covering the western side of the county, called police after posts accusing him of pedophilia and implying a death threat surfaced in a private Facebook group over the weekend. At one point a post from Landry's opponent, incumbent Commissioner Matt Look, thanked commenters for their support.

"A person wanting to run for office to serve the community and help better their community does not deserve to be put in harm's way," Landry said in an interview Monday. "Anoka County deserves somebody who cares and wants to serve."

Look, who has been an Anoka County commissioner since 2011, has previously faced allegations of harassing residents. On Monday, Look said in an interview that he had been out of town and was unaware of the threats against Landry, and that his own comments on Facebook were unrelated.

The threatening Facebook posts — which Landry shared with the Star Tribune — stemmed from a photo, which a member of the private group obtained and posted, that showed Landry holding a small child who was unclothed. Landry said the photo was a "proud papa" picture, taken 12 years ago, of his then-4-month-old daughter. The person who posted the photo on Facebook accused Landry of being a pedophile and said the "behavior needs to be addressed, not ignored."

A subsequent post showed an image of bullets with the caption, "there is now a child molestation vaccine." It continued with the words "one shot and its cured."

A different person commented "for Kevin???," accompanied by an emoji depicting a smiley face.

In another post, a man said he planned to invite Landry to a bar, choose a seat in front of a security camera and directly accuse Landry of being a pedophile. "Landry would no longer be running if it works," the man wrote.

The post from Look's Facebook account, which appeared in the comment thread, read "Good work everyone. This is without a doubt ... a full contact sport. It's starting early and will last until the elections. Thanks for your help and support. It is much appreciated."

Look said Monday that his comment was in response to attacks he has faced about issues related to his divorce and attacks Landry had leveled against him, and that he made it during the filing period.

"I do not support this or what he is going through," Look said.

A member of the Facebook group saw the posts and flagged Landry, who shared them with police. An Anoka Police Department detective took a report and an investigation is pending, according to police Capt. Andy Youngquist.

"It will get vetted out," he said.

Extra patrols will be in the area of Landry's home, Youngquist said, and Landry said he plans to install a new security system.

But he has no plans to drop out of the race.

"The good people of Anoka County need to take a stand and make their voices heard," Landry said.