William Thomas Ward, 63, of Kline Township was arrested Nov. 1 and charged with terroristic threats after Pennsylvania State Police say he called a barracks and threatened to shoot the Kline Township police chief.
Ward is charged with making Terroristic Threats With Intent To Terrorize Another — for an incident reported to PSP Frackville on Nov. 1, 2025.
According to the police complaint, at about 8:38 p.m. on Nov. 1 Ward called the Frackville barracks and spoke with a Trooper. Police say Ward “began ranting” about Chief John Petrilla of the Kline Township Police Department and told the dispatcher he was “getting a gun and was going to find Petrilla and ‘shoot him in the face.’ ” Troopers responded to Ward’s residence on Haddock Road, where Troopers made contact by phone and asked Ward to exit the house. He complied and was taken into custody.
Police allege that during transport and while at the station Ward made further statements corroborating the threat. The affidavit reports Ward told officers that Chief Petrilla and another person were “talking in his head by satellite” and that they had tried to kill him in a motorcycle crash. Investigators say Ward continued making disparaging statements while the complaint was being typed.
Ward was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer and is being held in the Schuylkill County Prison with bail denied.
The documented bail action reason lists concerns about “harm to self and/or others” and states Ward was experiencing “a complete break from reality.” Ward remains lodged in the Schuylkill County Prison pending the preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for Nov. 26, 2025 before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli.