Charges say a 64-year-old Mora, Minn., man became angry with banter between two members of a Beatles cover band during a concert at a White Bear Lake church and then sent off emails threatening to kill two church music directors in retaliation for Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
John Allan Sandeen Jr. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
John Allan Sandeen Jr. was arrested Wednesday and charged in Ramsey and Hennepin counties on Friday with several felony counts for allegedly sending threatening emails over several days to the music director at White Bear Lake Methodist Church and one to a member of the cover band who is also the music director at a church in Maple Grove.
Sandeen had an initial hearing Friday on the Ramsey County charges and remained jailed on $100,000 bail. His attorney declined to comment on the allegations.
According to the charges, the music director at White Bear Lake Methodist Church reported to police Monday that Sandeen sent him a series of threatening emails, the first on Sept. 12.
He said he’s known Sandeen for decades — that he once taught him — and that they’ve remained in contact through phone and email the past 15 years.
Sandeen attended a Sept. 7 concert at the church by the Beatles Ensemble, which played songs by the Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the music director told police. He said he spoke to Sandeen at the concert and that he seemed like “his usual self,” the charges say.
At some point during the concert, two band members engaged in “stage banter” between songs:
“When ‘The Fool on the Hill’ was released, we all thought the song was a reference to President Nixon, but it turns out to have been a reference to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whom the Beatles had met in 1967,” one said.
The other replied, “Interesting. I did not know that. But also, President Nixon was working with the FBI in an attempt to have John Lennon deported.”
“I’m sure glad they don’t do that anymore,” the first band member said.
The other then said, “Let’s hear it for ICE!”
The complaint said Sandeen “apparently took offense to the stage banter believing musicians should just shut up and play.”
‘Your people killed my friend’
Sandeen sent an email to the White Bear Lake church music director, writing that “music speaks volumes. We don’t need (the band member’s) opinions. Yah he is going to be with Charlie Kirk.”
He also wrote: “Charlie Kirk was a friend of mine” and told him to “let all your liberal leftie friends know” that he is “(expletive) very (expletive) angry. … (The band member) better have (expletive) eyeballs on his back.”
Sandeen emailed the band member the same day and referenced his comment about ICE, saying, “you think that ICE is evil. I think that you and your cohorts have killed my friend Charlie. … It’s fair game to let the hunted know that they are hunted. You are now advised.”
Other emails Sandeen sent that same day and the next — 16 writings in all — included threats that the music director “better (expletive) hide” and that he was going to “break your (expletive) fingers,” and also do physical harm to the band member, according to the complaint.
Sandeen further mentioned the Sept. 10 killing of Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist that federal prosecutors allege was intentionally targeted by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson at Utah State University.
“Your people killed my friend in front of his wife and children,” Sandeen allegedly wrote to the music director, adding that he was “going to cut your (expletive) throat.”
The director told police the emails made him fearful for himself and his church members, and that he did not respond to them.
Police learned that Sandeen was in a hangar at Rush City Regional Airport. He was pulled over and arrested after leaving the airport.
Officers executed a search warrant on Sandeen’s pickup truck and hangar. They recovered a box of shotgun shells and a plastic bag of ammunition from the hangar.
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In an interview with investigators, Sandeen initially said he didn’t know anything about threatening emails. He then told them he was probably drunk and said some “crazy (expletive),” the complaint continued.
He said musicians are supposed to play music and not give political opinions, then complained that had he known the concert was going to be a political rally he would not have attended.
Hennepin County prosecutors charged Sandeen with four counts of threats of violence.
In Ramsey County, he faces one count each of stalking and threats of violence.
