March 3, 2021

1 The Ferris State Torch NINETY YEARS OF ILLUMINATING THE TRUTH Big Rapids, Michigan Week of March 3 - 9, 2021 www.fsutorch.com Thomas Brennan announces Warrants out for firing on Twitter racist stalker After three months of investigation, professor officially fired 57-year-old white man banned Cora Hall led to requests by human resourc- ment of Professor Brennan.” Bacon from campus for stalking Editor in Chief es for a fitness for duty evaluation clarified to the Torch in an email Rebecca VanderKooi in 2019. The university became Saturday that the email mentioned News Reporter Thomas Brennan has been offi- aware of his migraine pain and in Brennan’s statement had “noth- cially fired from Ferris, according to alleged emf sensitivity on Nov. 8, ing to do with his current situation,” A Big Rapids resident is being accused of misdemeanor a Saturday morning tweet from the 2019, when Brennan called the but offered no other comments. stalking and harassment with an anti-Black bias. former physics professor. Mecosta County Sheriff to report al- In the fall of 2019, Brennan The suspect, Terry Lee Carlson, is a 57-year-old white man. “I’ve been officially fired from leged break-ins to his home. Bren- said he turned to Twitter as “a re- He has been reported following at least one Ferris student on Ferris. Here’s the defense state- nan was on campus at the time sult of my frustration at not being multiple occasions, both on and off campus, since October of ment that I gave to the admin- of the call, so a Ferris DPS officer able to stop what was happening 2020. Carlson has been reported driving a red pickup truck istration on February 15, 2021, was dispatched to his office in the to me and since I couldn’t express with Trump stickers and two small American flags located on along with supporting documents,” Arts & Science Commons. myself at work, I started to fall into the back. his tweet reads. Brennan linked The Ferris DPS report, which was despair.” He stated he “decided to “We currently have an active arrest warrant for stalking for two PDF documents, one a 15- included in Brennan’s statement, become verbally violent and harm- him,” Captain Gary Green of the Ferris Department of Public page long defense with evidence, stated that at 10:24 a.m. on Nov. 8, ful, but only on Twitter.” Safety said. and one a six-page statement. 2019, the officer spoke with Bren- “But out of spite for myself and On Jan. 10, 2021, a report was filed when Carlson followed His website, which is linked to his nan about harassment he said he what my world had turned into, I a Ferris student into the parking lot at Finch Court on campus. Twitter profile states he was fired was receiving. “Brennan advised decided to say all the things that Sergeant Timothy Jacobs, the lead officer on the case, ex- on Feb. 25, 2021. that strange things had been go- are some of [the] worst things plained in his police report that the victim was concerned that Ferris news services and social ing on for fifteen years,” the report you could say. My attitude was ‘f* Carlson was going to harm him. media manager Sandy Gholston read. The report details Brennan’s it, f* everybody and everything.’ “He said there are other students in which this guy has fol- confirmed that Brennan’s employ- account of his experience with sen- That’s what chronic head trau- lowed people on campus and in the student apartments ment was terminated on Thursday, sitivity to electronics and migraines ma will do to you,” Brennan said through town,” Jacobs wrote in the police report. Feb. 25 in an official statement and and can be read in full online. in his statement. When questioned, Carlson said that he was the one who was said, “The university has no further The report stated that Bren- The Torch originally reached out being followed. However, the victim provided video evidence of comment.” Brennan had been on nan believed he was being “gang to Brennan on Sept. 26, 2020, Carlson’s truck following them. administrative leave since Nov. 19, stalked,” which he explained as which he confirms in his statement. According to Jacobs, the victim had recorded the suspect fol- 2020, when Gholston released Fer- “a lot of strangers will approach He stated that he rejected requests lowing him on Oct. 29, at the Arts and Science building, Dec. ris’ only other official statement on him and say things to him out of for interviews multiple times, how- 27, at the Hillcrest Apartments and Jan. 8, from Family Drive the matter. the blue.” He told the officer he be- ever, after Brennan initially can- to Sports Drive. Brennan’s termination of em- lieved it was being done to make celed his interview, The Torch re- When Carlson was provided with this in- ployment comes just over three him “appear insane.” The report ceived no responses from Brennan formation, he “said he videotaped the per- months after The Torch reported details the break-ins Brennan be- – via email or otherwise, despite a son following him, but it did not take or save,” Brennan’s ties to a Twitter account lieved were happening at his home phone number being offered — af- Jacobs wrote. under his name that posted tweets and his belief that there was possi- ter Sept. 26, 2020. Using the Michigan criminal history file, a calling COVID-19 a hoax, amongst bly a microchip in his brain. Bren- The Torch reached out again on background check was run on Carlson that other conspiracy theories and both nan provided the officer with MRI Sept. 28, Oct. 7 and Oct. 23 – near- did not reveal any previous charges. Howev- racist and antisemitic language. scans of his brain and “insisted ly a full month before the story was er, throughout the past year, there have been Brennan also used the account to [he] take the photocopies as evi- published, contrary to Brennan’s multiple reports of stalking levied against tweet his lecture video. dence in case anything happens to statement that it was received Terry Carlson him. Since The Torch’s original report- him,” the report said. According to two days before the story ran — “Meceola dispatch has received numerous calls regarding ing on Brennan’s Twitter, he wrote Brennan’s statement, the alleged as the investigation went further. Terry Carlson’s disturbing behavior. There are a number of re- a letter to the Ferris community, home invasions became frequent Brennan was given both a phone ports of Mr. Carlson harassing minorities in the city and town- claiming the Twitter as his own. enough for him to install security number and email to communi- ship of Big Rapids,” the police report said. According to Brennan, he acted cameras and change his locks. cate with The Torch, and he did not In Jacob’s reports, there was information on an Aug. 11, and spoke out of “despair caused “In the end the thing that finally respond to any further requests, 2020, incident when a family called to tell authorities that Carl- by personal crisis involving extreme- stopped the break-ins, in mid-May even to decline. son had been known to carry firearms and had been coming to ly painful migraines, emf sensitivity 2020, was when I fully nailed all of Brennan ended his statement by Big Rapids to harass African Americans. In addition, USDA from and a series of repeated break-ins my windows shut,” Brennan said in calling his migraines “evidence of a Newaygo called because Carlson had been acting oddly. into [his] home.” He goes on to ex- his statement. “A fresh breeze was disability.” “(Carlson) followed two African American students to Cam- plain “emf sensitivity” as being able a luxury I couldn’t afford.” “Therefore the things I said on pus Creek apartments, where they reported he said racial slurs to “feel” WiFi and cellphones. Following the Ferris DPS report, Twitter were not expressed in order at them. When interviewed, it was found that he had no reason In a termination letter from Pro- the fitness for duty evaluation of to discriminate against people of to be on Gilbert drive,” the Mecosta County Sheriff’s report said. vost Robert Fleischman obtained Brennan was requested by human different races or social categories Lastly, in a Big Rapids Police Report from Dec. 20, 2020, by MLive, Brennan’s employment resources in order for him to con- but were uttered as a result of my Carlson was said to have followed an individual from Curries was terminated for serious miscon- tinue teaching in the Spring 2020 disability,” Brennan wrote. lot. Prior to this, Carlson was also seen driving by this person’s duct. The misconduct cited in the semester. A letter was also sent Brennan said he was exercising house numerous times. letter included a “pattern of unpro- to Brennan and his physician, who his rights to free speech on his Twit- Due to the nature and pattern of Carlson’s offenses, Green fessional and harassing behavior”, sent a letter in return on Dec. 30, ter. In President David Eisler’s only issued a letter banning him from the Ferris campus for six Brennan’s “views against science” 2019 that said “I do not find any statement on the matter, he said he months. After that period, he could apply to come back to cam- and “numerous comments on so- clear or convincing evidence of and the university were “shocked” pus.

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