On Sunday, May 1, a post on Facebook of an individual making threats of violence with a firearm caught the attention of Van Zandt County courthouse staff who in turn notified the Canton Police Department and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.

David Anthony Damate-Graves, of Canton, posted to Facebook that he was feeling “festive and waiting for his final moment tomorrow.”

The post reads. “Feeling festive. Sitting here waiting for my final moment tomorrow is going to finally bring the world some relief knowing that it will be finally rid of the life that is mine God speed everyone this bottle of whisky is for everyone I have harmed spoil alert the rain of lead will cover the square. If I were y’all stay away from the downtown court house tomorrow.”

After receiving and viewing the post, the CPD and VZC Sheriff’s Office obtained warrants and attempts were made to locate Graves last Sunday evening. After attempts were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office along with Canton PD and the Pct. 2 Constable office took positions on the Canton square. At approximately 7:50 a.m. the suspect, identified as David Anthony Damate-Graves, was observed in front of the courthouse and was immediately taken into custody. According to reports, Graves had a plastic toy firearm in his possession modified to resemble a real firearm. The suspect was booked into the VZ County Jail for the offense of Terroristic Threat without further incident.

Editors Note: The News understands that the above article includes grammatical errors in Graves’ statement and we intentionally left them uncorrected to reflet the Facebook post.