North Texas man said voices ‘that crawl in ears’ told him to commit school shooting: warrant

Parker County sheriff's deputies arrested a North Texas man who called 911 on Oct. 24 and said he was "hearing voices" telling him to shoot people at two schools in Azle, according to court records.

Some parents have raised concerns about the case, saying that they were not notified quickly about the threats.

Alan Spencer Thompson, 41, said that he could hear voices from hearing aids, "the type that crawl in your ears, placed there by another individual without his knowledge," and the voices urged him to commit school shootings, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Thompson told authorities that the voices told him to target Azle ISD's Silver Creek Elementary School and Azle Christian School, according to the affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram. Thompson was in possession of guns at his home and stressed that the call and information he provided was not a joke, the records state.

Thompson was taken into emergency custody for mental health treatment because investigators believed he posed a danger to himself and the community due to his statements, according to the affidavit.

He was sent to the psychiatric ward at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth initially, and on Nov. 5 he was booked into the Parker County Jail.

Thompson was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of firearms by a felon. He was not allowed to own guns because of multiple DWI convictions, with the third one being a felony, according to court records. His firearms have been seized by the Sheriff's Office.

Police from Azle ISD circulated the information about Thompson's threats and subsequent arrest through internal messaging, but concerned parents told the Star-Telegram that they were not notified about the threats in a timely manner.

Azle ISD addressed the concerns in a news release dated Friday, Nov. 8, after parents posted screenshots of the internal district messages on social media, which included Thompson's mugshot.

"Azle ISD Police shared this information with all campus principals and officers on October 28, the day it was received by the Azle ISD Police Chief," the school district said in its statement. "Due to the protected information included, the Azle ISD PD document that is circulating on social media was not intended for public release.

"The safety and security of our students, staff, and families remain our highest priority," the district said. "We want to assure our community that no attempt was made to withhold information, and our decision to limit details at this time is due to the suspect's continued law enforcement custody and the involvement of multiple law enforcement agencies."

More top stories from our newsroom:

→ Fatal wrong-way crashes double in Fort Worth

→ Restaurants win honors in first Michelin Star awards for Texas

→ Mom battling cancer shares memories of teen son killed in shooting

breaking news alerts. ]

Azle ISD police have been in contact with the Sheriff's Office, and threats of any kind are taken seriously. the district said. "If or when the suspect is released from law enforcement custody, information will be shared, as recommended or allowed by law enforcement," the statement reads. "At this time, we have no other actions being taken outside of our routine safety protocols such as locked doors, encouraging staff to be observant of all surroundings at all times, and increased awareness of campus SROs and administrators."

Azle ISD officials did not respond to questions about the incident over the phone or email when contacted by the Star-Telegram. An Azle Christian School spokesperson said that parents were notified Friday about the situation.

According to one of the internal messages, an Azle ISD police official said that he recognized Thompson from a criminal trespassing incident at Azle Christian School .

ACS Head of School April Geeslin told the Tri-County Reporter that Thompson visited the school's parking lot on Sept. 26 but he did not try to enter the school building.

"He parked in front of the church and walked up to our gym door," Geeslin told the Tri-County Reporter in an email. "He was immediately approached by myself. He said he was looking for someone named Tom and when told no one was here by that name, he left immediately. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. We are thankful to have an armed security officer on campus every day. The Brooks Security Team, who is contracted by ACS, works closely with the Azle ISD Police Department and Parker County Sheriff's Office."

Thompson remained in the Parker County Jail on Tuesday, Nov. 12, with bond set at $25,000, according to jail records. Charges had not been filed in court as of Tuesday, and it's unclear whether Thompson has an attorney to represent him.

Thompson kept his guns in a safe in his office from which he had removed the keypad, according to the affidavit. Deputies removed the guns after Thompson told them the password and where he had hidden the keypad, the warrant states.