Contractor who threatened to shoot N.J. high school security officers arrested
Middletown NJ March 3 2019 A contractor hired to do work at a Monmouth County high school was arrested Friday after he threatened to shoot security staff who asked him to leave school grounds, police said.
Richard D. Thompson Jr., 35, of Middletown, got into a verbal altercation with another contractor at Middletown High School North Friday morning and was then asked to leave but he refused, according to a release from Middletown Police Detective Lt. Paul Bailey.
Thompson then argued with the security officers and told them he was going to “return to the campus and shoot them,” before leaving the school, Bailey said.
The incident was reported to the Middletown Police at 10:25 a.m. and they were able to quickly find Thompson around the corner from the school on Swartzel Drive, official said.
Thompson was “uncooperative and refused to comply” with Middletown Police Lt. Neal Hansen who then arrested him after a “brief physical struggle,” Bailey said.
Police investigated and found that Thompson was not armed and does not own any guns, he said.
“At no time was there any threat to the safety of the students or other staff at the school,” Bailey said.
Thompson was charged with three counts of terroristic threats and one count of resisting arrest, police said. He was taken to police headquarters, processed and released on a summons.
Bailey did not immediately respond to a question asking what type of work Thompson was contracted to do for the school.
NJ.com
