By Jerry Lynott
The Times-Leader
WILKES-BARRE, Va. — Police filed a string of charges against 68-year-old Raymond Hall, alleging that he threatened to kill staff at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center emergency room, where he was being treated, and use a bomb on the facility.
Hall, of North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, was unable to post $50,000 bail after his preliminary arraignment Wednesday by District Judge Diana Malast, Plains Township, and committed to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
Department of Veterans Affairs police filed 13 charges against Hall, including multiple misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.
According to the affidavit of probable cause to support the charges, Hall was undergoing treatment in the emergency room around 1:10 p.m. April 2 and refused to cooperate with staff, becoming physically aggressive toward them.
Officer Mary Wenger said she heard Hall state numerous times that he was going to come back with “a couple loaded guns” and “shoot and kill as many people as he can” and cause “bloodshed.”
Hall threatened to kill two nurses and their families.
To a female nurse he said, “I will find out what kind of car you drive and I will wait for you in the parking lot. I want you to see me before I kill you.”
He told a male nurse, “I am going to kill you, your wife and the rest of your family.”
Hall threatened to harm the nurse and come back with a loaded weapon and shoot everyone. He also said he was going to look on a computer to make a bomb to be used at the facility.
His threats alarmed other patients in the emergency room and caused fear in the medical staff.