Kenneth Grenier was the musical director on the production, which was canceled in April
Credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- In April, a local Vermont theater group canceled a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show after receiving “threatening” text messages
- On Aug. 3, police said Kenneth Grenier admitted that he sent the texts to himself “in an effort to step away from the production”
- After the show was canceled, the theater group lost over $11,500, according to a local report from April
A Vermont man admitted to sending threatening texts to himself that led to a community theater group canceling a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in April, police said.
On April 7, Kenneth Grenier, 26, of Hyde Park, Vt., called the Essex Police Department to report receiving “a series of threatening and harassing texts” about the Essex Community Players’ plans to stage Rocky Horror, police said on Monday, Aug. 3.
The Essex Community Players announced the show would be canceled on April 3, “due to unforeseen circumstances.” In a follow-up message on April 6, the group said “threats were made” against the production and police were investigating.
“The threatening texts came from a subscriber-based cell phone app,” Essex police said. “Due to the nature and unknown origin of the texts, the production for that show was subsequently shut down.”
During their investigation, Essex police discovered that the IP address used to register the phone numbers that sent the texts was registered to Grenier’s home address.
Grenier later admitted to using a virtual text account to send the texts “in an effort to step away from the production for alleged personal safety issues instead of the true reason of what he described as difficulties with the cast and crew,” police said.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Police issued Grenier a citation to answer a misdemeanor charge of false reports to law enforcement authorities, and the case was sent to the Chittenden County Community Justice Center for resolution, police said.
The production of Rocky Horror was scheduled to run from April 17 to May 2 at Essex’s Memorial Hall, according to an April report by Vermont outlet Seven Days. The Essex Community Players, a nonprofit all-volunteer group, reportedly lost over $11,500 in expenses, which could not be recouped through tickets and concessions. Executive producer Jane Healy told the Boston Globe that the company’s losses might be closer to $15,000.
Grenier was the production’s musical director, according to the outlets.
PEOPLE reached out to the Essex Police Department and the Essex Community Players for further comment.
Read the full article here