Black Woman Masquerading As Ku Klux Klan Member Terrorized Neighbors, Faces Charges

A Black woman is accused of masquerading as a member of the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize her neighbors.

Terresha Lucas, 30, is charged with eight counts of making terroristic threats, the Douglasville Police Department in Georgia announced in a news release posted on Facebook.

The "racially-charged" notes began to appear in the mailboxes of residents on Manning Drive, in a subdivision called Brookmont, in December, the police department said.

The notes claimed to be written by a member of the Ku Klux Klan and threatened to burn down homes and kill people, police said. The notes described the author as "a six-feet-tall white male with a long, red beard who did not live in the neighborhood," police added.

But the police department's investigation led them to Lucas, a Black woman who lives in Brookmont.

The first notes arrived in the mailboxes of two residents on the street on December 21. "The notes threatened to burn their houses down and kill them and said that they didn't belong in the neighborhood," Detective Nathan Shumaker said.

Similar notes were placed in the mailboxes of residents in late February and early March.

Shumaker and Andre Futch, another detective who worked the case, went door to door to check doorbell cameras and gather any clues they could. The detectives also walked the neighborhood several times and handed out flyers to Brookmont residents.

"By mid-March, we really didn't have anything to go on," Shumaker said.

But he and Futch had determined the notes had similar handwriting, tone and verbiage with some distinctive letters that were consistent throughout.

The investigation stalled until detectives got the break they needed when another note arrived six months later on September 6. Evidence was found linking the notes to the Lucas' house.

Detectives gathered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant and during the search, detectives found more video tying Lucas to the notes, Shumaker said.

Police chief Dr. Gary Sparks praised Shumaker and Futch's persistence and dedication in solving the case.

"Our investigators had the drive to stick with this case and see it all to the end," Sparks said. "That's what we're all about and this reflects the professionalism and integrity of the department.

"They stayed with it and put in a lot of hours. Even when some people went to the media, which could have hampered our investigation, we still stuck with it to the end."

Lucas was booked into custody on Wednesday, online records from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office show.

The Douglasville Police Department has been contacted for additional comment.

Correction 10/4/21: The headline of this article was update to correct the spelling of Ku Klux Klan.