Four weeks ago a post on Perfect Duluth Day introduced the “Duluth Demon,” a masked character who apparently jumps out from behind trees in the Bagley Nature Area and scares the dickens out of UMD students. Whether it was a publicity stunt, all in good fun or a dangerous individual threatening public safety, the topic didn’t generate a lot of attention here.

Now that Halloween is upon us, however, we should have seen a twist in the story coming.

Today Perfect Duluth Day was copied on an e-mail to the UMD Stateman newspaper from Mark Zmudy, a faculty member in UMD’s Dept. of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

“I am not sure how it is possible that the UMD Statesman and other websites around Duluth are making light of a person who refers to himself as the ‘Duluth Demon’ and likes to ‘terrorize people in Bagley’ and who says that he is ‘schizophrenic,'” the e-mail begins.

“I am certain this is not going to lead to anything positive or productive.”

Zmudy followed up his e-mail with a call to PDD to warn of the dangers of the demon, and to report that he/she/it is “wanted” by campus police, and anyone who encounters the demon should call 911.

“It’s already circulated through the UMD Police Dept.,” Zmudy said. “The chancellor’s office has been notified. Different department chairs are working on how to get this person under control without him getting injured, because I’m pretty sure a person jumping out in the forest at night is going to get a negative reaction from somebody eventually.”

Probably true.

Meanwhile, the demon continues to sensationalize itself by selling T-shirts and updating its Facebook page.

Scott Drewlo, director of the UMD Police Dept., has not yet been available for comment. We’ll keep you posted.