ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — A Moran man who has been a frequent critic of local government was arrested Wednesday after a disturbance at the Allen County Courthouse.
According to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, George A. “Arlyn” Briggs, 68, had been inside the courthouse Wednesday morning criticizing the local judicial system. Around 10:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office was notified Briggs made a direct threat to administrative personnel in the lobby of the courthouse which resulted in a disruption of services.
Briggs was arrested on suspicion of aggravated criminal threat and held without bond until he can appear before a judge. No physical violence occurred, and no employees were physically harmed.
Allen County Sheriff Anthony Maness said in a statement: “As United States citizens, we value the freedom to criticize, or even petition to change, things we disagree with in all branches of the government. However, we will not ignore when someone chooses to threaten violence, especially when those impacted represent the very system that protects the rights we value so dearly.”
In recent months, Briggs has frequently made assorted corruption allegations against various officials and has also been critical of the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging over some personal experiences he had with them.
Briggs is currently facing multiple charges in Anderson County stemming from incidents July 16, 2024, including felony battery of a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property, attempted battery of a law enforcement officer, and criminal trespass on a property near Kincaid where he lived at one time
Arraignment in that case, on which at the time of Wednesday’s arrest he was free on a $40,000 bond, is currently scheduled for Sept. 22.
He had been placed on probation in a 2022 case that involved violations of protection from abuse orders and criminal damage. Online court records in that case indicated he was placed on 12 months unsupervised probation and assessed $193 in court costs, which records indicate as of Thursday morning had not been paid.
In 2022, Briggs ran for the Republican nomination for Governor, during which he attempted to purchase time for a political advertisement on Overland Park-based Bott Radio Network, where an employee refused to sell him time due to what was reported to be a pending criminal case in Allen County.
Briggs also made two attempts to run for Kansas Legislature, in 2012 and 2020, and lost both times.
