Odom arrested in D.C.

COEUR d'ALENE — Kyle Andrew Odom was arrested by Secret Service agents Tuesday night in front of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Odom, 30, was wanted for the attempted murder of Pastor Tim Remington, who was shot multiple times in the parking lot of The Altar Church in Coeur d’Alene on Sunday afternoon. On March 7, Odom boarded a flight from the Boise Airport to Washington, D.C., and was seen throwing flash drives and other items over the White House fence prior to his arrest at 8:27 p.m. EST, Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said.

“I think we will all sleep a little bit safer tonight,” White said. “But our detectives certainly won’t be — they’ve still got a lot of work ahead of them to put together a case that the county attorney can move forward with and process.”

White added that as of press time Tuesday night, Hazmat crews and bomb squad personnel were working to identify the items Odom threw over the fence along with the flash drives. There were no weapons on Odom at the time of his arrest.

Multiple Spokane media outlets, as well as Odom’s parents, received identical letters Tuesday morning from the suspected shooter. Inside the envelope was a piece of paper that read “The Truth About Kyle Odom” and a USB drive containing a lengthy manifesto apparently written by Odom.

White said more than 60 members of the United States and Israeli governments were mentioned in the document — including President Barack Obama and members of Congress.

“It was extensive and it was disturbing to us,” White said. “It’s more rambling than anything, there was really no specific 'I’m going to kill this individual' type of threats. We didn’t take the names on there lightly, I can tell you that.”

Once investigators reviewed the material, and realized the potential scope of whom Odom could target, federal authorities were contacted.

Although he could not state Odom was definitively on Facebook today, White did say activity on the man’s page Tuesday was consistent with the information his office had received in the manifesto.

“All the information we have so far indicates that he acted alone,” he added.

White did not say the social media activity led investigators to determine Odom was in the nation’s capital, but did say they received information on his whereabouts prior to his arrest.

Investigators alerted the FBI that Odom could potentially be in Washington, D.C., about the same time he was being arrested at the White House, White said.

“His social media posts gave us some insight on his psyche,” White said. “I think it helped us.”

Early Tuesday morning, Odom's Facebook page showed the man had 24 friends. However, someone became active on the page just before 4 p.m.

Odom's profile photo changed and the number of friends reached as high as 72 individuals. One of those friends, Spokesman-Review reporter Eli Francovich, took a screenshot of a post made on the page Tuesday afternoon.

"Things are not what they appear to be. The world is ruled by an ancient civilization from Mars. Pastor Tim was one of them, and he was the reason my life was ruined. I will be sharing my story with as many people as possible. I don't have time right now, they are chasing me. I shot pastor Tim 12 times, there is no way any human could have survived that event. Anyway, I have sent my story to all the major news organizations. I have no time, I have to go," the post states.

At a press conference Monday, White said Odom has some history of mental illness.

Odom’s vehicle, which was allegedly used to flee the scene of the shooting at the church, was recovered in Boise and is being secured by local law enforcement. It is unknown how Odom was able to board a plane.

“When we were unable to (locate Odom after the shooting), we put a warrant in the national database,” White said. “As far as the inner-workings of TSA, and how someone with a felony warrant could board an airplane, I’m not the one to answer that question.”

John Padula, associate pastor at The Altar Church, was also targeted by Odom and mentioned in the manifesto. White said a protection detail was assigned to Padula and his family after investigators learned he had been targeted.

AJ Johnson, an usher at the church, told The Press Tuesday that Padula was contacted by the Secret Service and informed of Odom’s arrest. Padula then, via text message, informed Johnson of the arrest, and encouraged him to spread the word.

“The deal that we are truly thrilled about is that they caught him without killing him,” Johnson said. “I mean, my pastor will be the first guy that will go see him in jail and forgive him for what he did. We just pray for his soul, we really do.”

Johnson added there is a sense of relief among the church community.

“We can get to business as usual again and start helping people,” he said.

Remington is being cared for at Kootenai Health and is in stable condition.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said the Secret Service will work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether any charges will be filed against Odom in Washington, D.C.

“Once that process is completed, there is a warrant that is outstanding and we will be extraditing him back to Kootenai County based on the existing charge,” McHugh said.

McHugh added additional charges could be filed against Odom as the investigation continues.

White issued the following statement on behalf of Odom’s family at the press conference:

“We are thankful for the safe apprehension of our son, Kyle. As Kyle was not living with us, we are learning of his plans as they are being revealed by the police. We are truly thankful to God he is safe and no one else has been injured. Please respect our family’s privacy at this difficult time.”

During a press conference Tuesday night, White praised the efforts of members of his department, the county prosecutor’s office, and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

“They’ve done an exceptional job to bring this case to a safe and successful conclusion,” White said. “The community, over this incident, has galvanized and come together once again and I think everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that this part of the case has come to a conclusion.”