The Centre County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday withdrew all charges against a man who had been accused of threatening to kill his former coworkers at a College Township auto parts store and placing phone calls to provoke a police response to the business.
Leslie P. Scott, of Benner Township, was charged on Oct. 10 with 15 felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility and 17 misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats. He was detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility in lieu of $40,000 bail until the charges were dropped this week.
Scott passed a polygraph test on Monday, First Assistant Public Defender Lora Rupert said.
Rupert added that she was told investigators are “looking into other people,” and no longer Scott.
“Obviously he’s very excited [about the charges being dropped],” Rupert said. “He said that he was innocent from the very start of this. He has no hard feelings against any of the people involved, and he’s willing to cooperate further if the police need him.”
First Assistant District Attorney Sean McGraw said the investigation is ongoing.
State College police alleged Scott placed more than 20 threatening calls between Sept. 13 and Oct. 5 to Advance Auto Parts, 497 Benner Pike, and Centre County 911. Police wrote in a criminal complaint that it became apparent that the store was being “swatted,” a form of harassment in which a caller prompts an emergency response under false pretenses.
The calls were often spoofed to appear as if they were coming from Advance Auto Parts phone number or someone else, police wrote. Scott, who had been fired from the business, was accused of making bomb threats and saying he was going to kill store employees.
On multiple occasions, additional threatening calls were placed while police were on the scene responding to the initial calls and at least one forced the business to close early.
Other store employees were cleared after interviews and polygraphs, according to the complaint.
