Houston Police have publicly identified the man who allegedly sent a racist letter to then-Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin in 2017, adding that the note was part of a pattern of harassment to high-profile figures in the Houston area.
Robin Chiswell, 60, allegedly called Sumlin the N-word and told him to “Please get lost! Or else.” in a letter sent following a season-opening loss to UCLA in September 2017.
Chiswell was arrested in November and charged with felony stalking in a separate case where he had allegedly sent a Houston philanthropist threatening letters for more than 30 years. He is being held on $250,000 bond.
No charge has been filed in relation to the letter sent to Sumlin, who was fired by the Aggies after the 2017 season. Prosecutor Samantha Knecht said during a news conference Friday that the investigation into Chiswell continues with the hope of bringing additional charges.
Sumlin, now the coach at Arizona, said at the time that the hate mail crossed a line.
“I get criticism, which is part of the job. I get suggestions, and that’s part of the job,” he said. “In this situation, for that [letter] to come to my home and for her to open it and read that, that is completely different. … The racial [aspect] is one part of it, but the open-ended threat at the end, [sent] to my house … I’ve got to draw the line there.”