Background: The Northern York County Regional Police Department in York, Pa. (Facebook). Inset: Christian Meiler (York County Sheriff's Office).
A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making terroristic threats after he allegedly told a police officer during his arrest that he should meet the same fate as his fallen colleagues.
Christian Meiler, 31, is being held without bond at the York County Jail after he was taken into custody on Saturday. According to a criminal complaint obtained by local Fox affiliate WPMT, Northern York County Regional Police Department officers responded to calls about a fire at Meiler's home. Police said that a shed in Meiler's backyard was fully engulfed. Firefighters were able to put out the fire, but police said that Meiler was "verbally aggressive and disrespectful" to the responding officers.
According to police, Meiler was also drunk, making him ill-equipped to provide "competent and continuous supervision" of the fire in his backyard. It was this that caused officers to place Meiler under arrest. Meiler's response to this, police said, was to invoke the names of three of their detectives who had been killed in the line of duty in September.
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Police said that after Meiler was arrested, he allegedly told the officer detaining him, "I hate every single one of you," and that he hoped the officer would "end up like Becker, Emenheiser and Baker."
On Sept. 17, 39-year-old Det. Sgt. Cody Becker, 43-year-old Det. Isaiah Emenheiser, and 53-year-old Det. Mark Baker, all from the Northern York County Regional Police Department, were shot and killed by a suspect after they were ambushed while serving a warrant. Two more officers were injured, and the suspect was taken down by police.
According to court documents, Meiler told the officer, "Your day is coming, buddy. You're going to be just like them." The arresting officer, B. C. Brandt, wrote that he was "shocked and silent" upon hearing the alleged threat, stating that he felt Meiler's intent was "to instill fear and terror within me."
Brandt wrote that Meiler allegedly attempted to undo his seat belt while in the police car and repeatedly kicked the back window in an attempt to break it open.
The next day, police were called to Meiler's home again while he was still in custody. Meiler's girlfriend called police to report a domestic abuse incident, allegedly at the hands of Meiler, that happened the night of the fire. Reporting on the court documents by local CBS affiliate WHP said that Meiler allegedly beat her before forcing her to the ground and covering her face with a pillow until she could not breathe. She told police he only stopped because he noticed the fire in the backyard had spread.
According to court documents, Meiler also invoked the fallen officers during that alleged attack, reportedly telling the woman, "You know what happened to the Northern Regionals the other week? That's what's going to happen to you."
Police said she was too afraid to report the incident when first responders arrived at their home to extinguish the fire.
Meiler was charged for both alleged incidents separately. In connection with the fire and threats, he was charged with risking a catastrophe, terroristic threats, and several counts of prohibited burning. In connection with the domestic violence incident, he was charged with strangulation, unlawful restraint, terroristic threats, false imprisonment, simple assault, and a summary count of harassment.
Meiler is being held at the York County Jail without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 16.