Kentucky man arrested for twisted Halloween yard display

A Kentucky resident is in hot water for a twisted Halloween display that appears to threaten local officials.

Stephan Marcum was charged over a display with human-like figures propped up in body bags, one of which was hanging by a noose.

The body bags were labeled and included the mayor, zoning manager, county attorney, and a district judge, who was hanging by a rope around the neck, according to the police citation.

Marcum was reportedly asked to remove the display and was subsequently arrested after he refused, according to the New York Post.

Kentucky man arrested after ‘threatening’ ‘Halloween decoration’ display: https://t.co/qAsfLzDtFN pic.twitter.com/OBGxK7O2Xw

— WAVE (@wave3news) October 7, 2025

Days before his morbid display, the disgruntled Kentucky man had complained online about his local officials after he learned that he had allegedly “violated a number of City Ordinances” on his property, according to the Post.

“This is something you just don’t see every day,” Powell County Judge Executive Eddie Barnes, who was not one of those named in the display, told WKYT. “At first I didn’t know what to think about it because I actually drove by and [saw] it in his yard and I’m thinking you know, wow, you know, that’s kinda harsh,” he said.

Barnes said he has known Marcum for decades and considers him a good person, but thought the display crossed the line.

University of Kentucky political science professor Stephen Voss cited the nation’s polarized climate and argued that threats are not tolerated under the First Amendment.

“We’re seeing a little bit less tolerance for violent communication or violent imagery because there seems to be a greater risk people will enact it or carry it out,” Voss said.

“If you’re actively threatening someone in a terrorizing way, that may not be covered by the general right to free expression,” he continued. “A display or statement that might have been taken as somewhat tongue-in-cheek or almost a joke in a less polarized, conflict-ridden age may not be seen as funny or as innocent these days,” he added.

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