Credit: County of Bucks
A Falls Township man was arrested after police allege he threatened to open fire at a district courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
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William Werner, 64, was taken into custody after the afternoon incident at the office of District Judge Terry Hughes, which is located in the county government complex off New Falls Road.
The courthouse staff received a phone call from Werner regarding a traffic ticket, Bristol Township police said.
During the conversation with a staff member, Werner allegedly threatened to “come back into the court with a gun and shoot and kill the office staff and the officer,” police said.
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The threats led to a disruption of court operations. Staff halted all business and remained in place behind locked doors until officers arrived on the scene, police said.
The dispute may have centered on summary offenses filed by Tullytown Borough police last month.
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Court records show Werner was issued citations for operating a vehicle without required financial responsibility and for an expired registration.
A trial for those charges had been scheduled for April 22 before Hughes.
Werner was charged with one felony count of terroristic threats on Tuesday.
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After his arrest, Werner was preliminarily arraigned before District Judge Kevin Wagner. He is currently being held on 10 percent of $1 million bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
