Paul Bechtoldt allegedly told employees at the Peckville Post Office he was going to "shoot up" Saturday's No Kings rally in Scranton.
They took Paul Bechtoldt at his word and called police.
Local law enforcement swung into action, sending additional officers to patrol the 2 p.m. demonstration on Courthouse Square, while others were dispatched to Bechtoldt's home on Hickory Street in the Peckville section of Blakely.
Bechtoldt, 72, ended up handcuffed in a squad car and faces one misdemeanor count of making terroristic threats.
His case is the second one in Northeast Pennsylvania involving a threat at an anti-Trump rally on Saturday.
Michael Paul Kolarik, 52, of Scranton, pointed a gun at two women during a Wilkes-Barre No Kings event, according to Wilkes-Barre police.
The local rallies were among hundreds nationwide the same day, aimed at protesting President Donald Trump’s policies.
Post office encounter described
According to an affidavit filed by Blakely Police Cpl. Michael Shaheen:
Police were dispatched to the post office on Keystone Avenue shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Employee Anthony Larioni told them Bechtoldt had come into the office to drop off a package.
After finishing the transaction, Bechtoldt said, "now I'm going to Scranton to shoot up the no kings protesters," Larioni told police.
The employee told police Bechtoldt made the statement in a serious manner and never said he was joking.
"Larioni stated the two began arguing and Bechtoldt left, so he contacted 911 because he took it as a serious threat," the affidavit states.
Police: Bechtoldt insists he was joking
Shaheen said he and two other officers went to Bechtoldt's home, where he admitted saying he was going to shoot up the No Kings Protest in Scranton, but told police he was just kidding.
Shaheen "explained the seriousness of a threat of that magnitude," telling Bechtoldt it was "not a joking situation."
Bechtoldt also admitted to police that he does possess firearms, the affidavit states.
Shaheen said he contacted Lackawanna County Assist District Attorney Christina Farrell regarding the incident, and that she approved the terroristic threat charge.
Bechtoldt was handcuffed and put into a police car. Blakely police informed Scranton police that he was in custody.
Another officer returned to the Peckville Post Office, where Larioni "confirmed that Bechtoldt never said he was joking" and signed a written statement about the incident.
Shaheen said Bechtoldt agreed to speak with police at the Blakely Borough Police Department after being read his Miranda rights, and that he again admitted that he made the statement about shooting up the rally, but was just kidding.
"He stated he was just going home, so he didn't shoot up the No Kings protest," Shaheen wrote.
Bechtoldt was arraigned Saturday before District Judge George Seig. He is being held at the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing set for 11:15 a.m. Oct. 29 before Seig.
