A Schuylkill County man is being held without bail after he allegedly made threats to kill a local police chief.
Kline Township Police say they were notified by State Police-Frackville on the night of Nov. 1 that the barracks had just received a phone call from William Ward, 63, who began ranting about Chief John Petrilla.
Ward allegedly said he was going to get a gun, find Petrilla, and “shoot him in the face,” according to a police affidavit.
Kline Township Det. Paul Bowman says he and several Troopers from the State Police-Frackville barracks went to Ward’s home. After contacting Ward by phone and telling him to come outside, police say he was taken into custody.
Without prompting, police say Ward continued to go on about wanting to kill Petrilla and allegedly admitted to previously saying the same.
Ward also claimed that Petrilla and another man were talking in his head by satellite and that they tried to kill him in a motorcycle crash. He added that once he gets the chance, he’s going to kill Petrilla, police say.
As police were typing Ward’s criminal complaint, they say ward continued making similar remarks.
Ward was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer on a charge of making terroristic threats. Bayer denied bail because he determined Ward to have a “complete break from reality,” according to court documents, and is a threat to himself and others.
A preliminary hearing before Judge Edward Tarantelli has been scheduled for Nov. 26.
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