A Lake Wawasee resident who posted information in a Facebook group about a Donald Trump-themed boat parade received a mailed threat. InkFreeNews file photo.

By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — A Lake Wawasee resident received a mailed threat after posting information in a Facebook group about a Donald Trump-themed boat parade.

Daryl Elliott is an admin for the Facebook group “Wawasee Lake Life,” which focuses on discussing all matters related to Lake Wawasee.

Elliott said he received a letter in his mailbox after sharing information about a Trump-themed boat parade happening over Labor Day weekend. The letter contained several threats, stating Elliott “(has) two weeks” and that he “better post on (Wawasee Lake Life) that (the) Trump flotilla is canceled.”

A Trump-themed boat parade took place on Lake Wawasee in 2020, with close to 200 boats in attendance. Elliott said he only posted about both the 2020 and 2024 parades in the Facebook group since he’s an admin and has never been responsible for organizing the parades.

“I asked (the host) if he was hosting a parade this year … he made up a flyer and sent it to me, and I posted it,” said Elliott. “I just helped promote it through the Facebook group. It’s sad that this resulted in this … to act out and write a letter to a person like me who’s using the First Amendment right to post in a Facebook group. It was unnerving.”

Elliott said he served on Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District’s school board for 12 years and received a lot of “ugly, non-signed emails,” but never received a threat.

The letter has been reported to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and is currently under investigation.

The Trump 2024 boat parade will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, on Lake Wawasee. Boaters are asked to meet at the bay of the main boat ramp at 2 p.m. The parade will travel slower than the 2020 event to minimize chopping the lake up.

Elliott said he and the parade’s organizer both believe the turnout for the event will be higher than the 2020 Trump parade on Lake Wawasee.

“They’ve encouraged people to be respectful when it comes to banners and flags,” said Elliott. “Even though I was threatened not to do it, they’re still going to do it and that’s the right thing to do.”

Anyone with information on the letter sent to Elliott is encouraged to contact KCSO’s detective division.