A 19-year-old woman, identifying as a transgender man, was arrested in Iowa after telling her therapist she had thoughts of carrying out a shooting at an elementary school, according to local authorities.
The Norwalk Police Department stated on Monday that Margaret Anderson, also known by the name Maxwell, was taken into custody following the discovery of a potential threat against Oviatt Elementary School in Norwalk, Iowa. Anderson has been charged with a “Threat of Terrorism” under Iowa Code 708A.5 and processed into the Warren County Jail, according to the department’s release.
Warren County Attorney Doug Eichholz confirmed Anderson’s gender identity while explaining the charges. “The case arose out of statements that Anderson made to her therapist during the course of her ‘regular treatment,'” Eichholz told The Daily Wire on Tuesday. The therapist reported Anderson’s statements to the Des Moines Police Department, which then forwarded the information to Norwalk authorities.
“And then the investigation took off from there,” Eichholz added.
The criminal complaint against Anderson alleges: “The defendant stated that she had thoughts that she wanted to take a gun to Oviatt Elementary School in Norwalk, at 11 a.m. through the cafeteria, and shoot children.”
Eichholz noted that the complaint did not include specific motives for why Anderson expressed these thoughts. After revealing her intentions, Anderson was immediately placed into Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, which houses a mental health facility. Following her hospitalization, Anderson was arrested and subsequently released to house arrest with a GPS bracelet as part of her pretrial release conditions.
Shawn Holloway, superintendent of Norwalk Community School District, has not yet responded to requests for comment.
This incident surfaces just over a year after a similar case in Nashville, where a trans-identifying shooter killed three children and three adults at Covenant Christian School in March 2023. At the time, the shooter’s transgender identity stirred debate, with some in the media arguing that the focus should be on the victims rather than the shooter’s gender identity.
LGBTQ groups raised concerns about potential backlash. Newsweek reported that the publication of the shooter’s manifesto could have “serious consequences,” and NBC News highlighted the fear within Tennessee’s transgender community, quoting an activist who stated, “We were already fearing for our lives. Now, it’s even worse.”
The FBI withheld the shooter’s journal for months, citing public safety concerns and the potential for “conspiracy theories” to arise. However, in early September, The Tennessee Star published the journal, revealing that the Nashville shooter had fixated on transgender identity, white privilege, and struggled with autism and depression.
