Man charged in string of ‘bias-motivated’ threats in Roseville

A man has been charged in connection with a series of what the Roseville Police Department calls "bias-motivated" threats of violence and arson against multiple homes in Roseville.

Police said, on May 30 and June 1, four threatening notes — three in Roseville and one in St. Paul — were left at homes with signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "All Are Welcome Here." The notes said the homes would burn while the residents sleep and that "payback is coming."

Two of the notes were sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for fingerprint analysis, and investigators matched them with 49-year-old Kevin Jay Karjalahti, of Roseville. Results for two other notes are pending, but the handwriting, spelling and punctuation on all four messages appeared to be written by the same person, according to a criminal complaint.

All of the messages were left within 2 miles of Karjalahti’s home on the 1700 block of Fernwood Street in Roseville, including one that was left directly across the street from where he lives.

According to the complaint, Karjalahti’s wife confirmed that her husband had written the notes and that he had left them to warn people about their signs. She told investigators he was "frustrated" ar the civil unrest in the Twin Cities sparked by George Floyd’s death in police custody.

Police arrested Karajalahti on Wednesday, and three counts of felony threats of violence were filed against him Thursday in Ramsey County Circuit Court.

The incidents remain under investigation.