Police say an 81-year-old Pennsylvania man who left a phone message threatening to blow up a school says he misdialed and was trying to return a threatening call he’d received from another number.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Lawrence Stabler, the Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania, man arrested Thursday night.
Police say Stabler left a message on the answering machine at the Donald E. Schick Elementary School threatening to ‘blow up’ the building near Williamport earlier in the day.
Lawrence Stabler, of Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania, was arrested Thursday night, and claims to have misdailed when he threatened to blow up a school
‘If you don’t stop calling this number, I’m going to find out what your (expletive) address is and believe me, three sticks of dynamite will get rid of you and all your (expletives),’ he said in the voicemail according to documents obtained by the Sun Gazette.
Loyalsock School District Superintendent Gerald McLaughlin said that the school received the phone call just 15 minutes before 2pm.
‘It was a threatening phone call of a severe enough nature we felt we should call the police,’ McLaughlin said.
Stabler, 81, left a message on the machine at the Donald E. Schick Elementary School threatening to ‘blow up’ the building near Williamport earlier in the day
At the school, local authorities investigated and made sure that all were safe until every student went home for the day.
‘The state police did a thorough investigation and at no time was your child in danger,’ McLaughlin wrote in an email to parents.
Police say Stabler acknowledged making the call, but told them he was trying to call back another number from which he’d received threatening calls.
Police say Stabler acknowledged making the call, but told them he was trying to call back another number from which he’d received threatening calls
‘I have received a number of harassing telephone calls, whole bunch of calls, silence, deep breathing,’ Stabler said to the court on Thursday.
It it unknown whether he knew he was making the call to the elementary school/
The veteran and former college professor was charged with threatening to use weapons of mass destruction and terroristic threats along with disorderly conduct and harassment.
Stabler has been jailed in Lycoming County, after he was unable to immediately post $25,000 bond.