#MeToo For Female Friends

A Las Vegas physics teacher was charged with making terroristic threats. Leslie McGourty, 48, told a friend she was going to “poke a lot of holes in a lot of people.” She grew poetic about a #MeToo movement where women would  “empower” other women to become serial killers.

McGourty sent text messages to an acquaintance on May 16. The notes talked about her intention to cause a bloody massacre by shooting herself and others during a city concern on May 19.

“A perfect plan with my favorite song surrounded by a bunch of fucked up misfits, like I am,” the Las Vegas Review quotes McGourty as saying. “Imagine knowing the precise moment you will die. I know my favorite song will be played by my favorite band. It’s too perfect.”

McGourty told her friend, “James,” that she was formulating a plan that would “blow everyone’s mind,” according to KTNV.

Texts between McGourty and James included this exchange:

“What was the name of the guy who shot up the Strip?” he asked.

“Doesn’t matter. I am a woman. I shall be remembered,” she replied.

“People will remember me,” she said. “I have the motive, the brains, and the means. Vegas will lose its luster.”

James went to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with his concerns. Law enforcement went to McGourty’s home but found she had already gone to work. The LVMPD then contacted Clark County School District police to detain McGourty and remove her from the classroom. McGourty was arrested at the school around 7:45 am.

When detectives read pieces of her text messages out loud to her, she didn’t have much of a reaction and claimed she often had “those types of conversations” with James.

McGourty claimed to have worked at Bonanza High School since late summer of 2015. Her mother, Natalie, told local reports her daughter had been teaching over 22 years.

“She comes from law-abiding citizens,” Natalie said. “We don’t even own guns.”

Talking about personal issues during class was a habit McGourty had.

“I know she came in talking about her boyfriends and who she dated,” said student Lyric Lyons. “I didn’t think she’d make threats.”

“She scared me,” said another student. “She constantly talked about her divorce. Too much personal stuff.”

Charged with making terroristic threats, school officials said McGourty would be ‘assigned to home’  — basically paid leave — when released from police custody. The band scheduled for the concert, “Life of Agony” canceled the show after being told of the threat.

“The safety of our fans is always our number one priority,” the band wrote on Facebook.