Man is held after alleged ‘joker’ threat
He’s under psychiatric evaluation after police say he talked about attacking a workplace.
BALTIMORE — A Maryland man repeatedly threatened to “blow everybody up” at his former workplace and called himself a “joker,” authorities said, in what they believe was a reference to last week’s mass shooting during a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie in Aurora, Colo.
Neil Edwin Prescott, 28, was taken into custody early Friday morning and was admitted to the emergency psychiatric unit of Anne Arundel Medical Center for evaluation. Charges were pending Friday.
Officers said they discovered more than 25 firearms and several thousand rounds of ammunition at Prescott’s apartment during a search Friday. During an earlier visit, police said, he wore a T-shirt that said, “Guns don’t kill people, I do.”
Prescott reportedly called a colleague, who worked with him at mail services supplier Pitney Bowes, on Monday and repeatedly said, “I am a joker; I’m going to load my guns,” according to a search warrant application. He also said he wanted to “see the supervisor’s brain splatter all over the sidewalk,” according to court records. The colleague, who knew of Prescott’s gun collection, alerted police.
The comments heightened police concerns after the Aurora shooting, Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said at a news conference. Twelve people were killed and 58 others injured by a gunman who police said was armed with three weapons, including a semiautomatic rifle.
“In light of what happened a week ago in Aurora, Colo., it’s important to know, [for] the community to know, that we take all threats seriously,” Magaw said. “And if you’re going to make a threat, we will take action.”
“We can’t measure what was prevented here, but what was going on over the last 36 hours was a significant incident in the county. And we think a violent episode was avoided,” Magaw said, according to the Associated Press.
The workplace that Prescott is accused of threatening to shoot up is just outside Washington.
Police say that when they went to Prescott’s home around 3 a.m. Thursday, he told them — through a closed door — that he had a gun. Police say they instructed him to drop his weapon and come out, which he did, wearing the gun T-shirt. Based on his appearance and conversations with him, police sought approval for the emergency evaluation and the search warrant.
Prescott had recently been fired from his position working for a Pitney Bowes subcontractor, according to police records.
Pitney Bowes spokeswoman Carol Wallace said in an emailed statement that Prescott had not been on company property in more than four months. He had raised alarms at the company before, she said.
“We have clear security protocol and when we had concerns about this individual, we contacted authorities,” Wallace wrote. She declined to answer questions.
Gary Crofoot, the man to whom Prescott is accused of making the threats, declined to comment.