Va. Parents Allege Threats Made for Speaking Out to School Board

Several people in a Facebook group known as the “Loudoun Love Warriors,” including some with ties to local elected officials, are being investigated by the sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Virginia, for allegedly threatening and harassing some parents who spoke out at school board meetings, WJLA-TV reported.

"The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office [LCSO] has opened an investigation into potential threats made within the 'Loudoun Love Warriors' Facebook group, following a citizen complaint today," the sheriff's department said in a statement. "A previous investigation of the group and comments made about Mark Winn, a resident of Leesburg, VA, determined that no criminal act had occurred."

Some people in the group appear to be associated with Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj, County Supervisor Juli Briskman, School Board Chair Ian Serotkin, school board member Brenda Sheridan, school board member Atoosa Reaser, school board member Erika Ogedegbe, school board candidate Anne Donohue, sheriff candidate Craig Buckley, and County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall.

A whistleblower in the group who thought the conversations were going too far shared some of the messages with WJLA-TV. Some read:

“Mark Winn. I’m gonna find his employer.”
“And holding that company accountable until he is fired.”
“Let's make him unemployable by love or by force.”
“Wish I had footage of every person who clapped for him and give them the same ousting that Winn is about to.”
“I want to contact his employer to do just that. Ruin his livelihood.”
“Say goodbye to your job [expletive, middle finger emoji].”
“I want every single person who clapped for that ousted en masse and their livelihoods ruined [smiley face emoji].”

Winn, who at a school board meeting in December 2022 said "[LGBT] behaviors should never have been promoted, taught, or encouraged in the schools that you oversee," said the messages “shocked” him.

"They went after my job," Scott Mineo, another Loudoun County parent, told WJLA-TV. "That happened in early February. They referred me to the FBI, IRS, and DHS all because they don’t like my opinion.

"They're probably going to sit back and celebrate the fact that I'm unemployed. I'm having a hard time finding a job. And who knows what's next with the IRS and the FBI? I don't know. But they've done more than just put me out of a job. It's impacting my family, my kids."