A Huntington Station man was arrested Saturday on felony charges after he allegedly made a threat to kill employees at Huntington Town Hall when he stormed away from a battle over a parking ticket, Suffolk County police said.
Robert Murphy, 55, was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail during his arraignment Sunday on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat.
According to police, Murphy went to Huntington Town Hall on Wednesday to contest a parking ticket he had received. He was unable to accomplish his goal and stormed out of the building in “an irate manner,” a police news release said. Det. Sgt. John O’Sullivan said Murphy claimed he was going to “come back, kill some people, and then kill myself,” a report published in Newsday said.
Murphy reportedly had been issued the ticket from the Town of Huntington as part of an initiative in which volunteers photograph vehicles appearing to be illegally parked. In this case, Murphy was issued a handicapped parking violation, O’Sullivan said.
Investigators said Murphy yelled the threat as he left Town Hall and a female employee, who was not involved in the dispute, overheard the remark. The police were called and began an investigation.
Murphy was arrested on Saturday around 9:35 a.m. at his Hazard Avenue home. A .45 caliber rifle was seized from his home and Murphy was taken for a mental health evaluation at Stony Brook University Hospital, cops said.
Murphy was released from the hospital and taken back to the Second Precinct for processing on Saturday. According to court records, Murphy remains held at the Suffolk County Jail on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. He is due back in court on Feb. 7.
Comments