Man Threatens to Assassinate the Abilene Police Chief

ABILENE, TX — A man threatened to assassinate Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge yesterday. According to the Abilene Police Department, a man called the APD dispatch phone number and told the dispatcher that he was going to shoot the police chief.

Standridge’s profile has been elevated over the past several weeks due to many crime events that have shaken Abilene, including four homicides this year alone. Tuesday night, there was a deadly drive-by shooting. About 11 days ago, a Dyess AFB airman killed himself after threatening to shoot and kill Abilene police officers during standoff.

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Above: Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge during a press conference this week. (KTXS video)

Abilene police said they found Michael Brandon Holmes, 42, of Clyde, staying in a south Abilene hotel. He was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat against a public servant, a State Jail Felony.

Police are mum about what the motive may have been. KTXS researched the accused’s record and only found minor infractions like a DWI conviction in December 2017, a speeding ticket, and an arrest for providing alcohol to a minor.

“The caller did not identify himself nor relate a motive,” Abilene police stated in a press release this morning.

In the meantime, police told KTXS that their police chief has security guards escorting Standridge for protection.