Courthouse threat thwarted

A local man was arrested on Thursday before he could carry out a plan to shoot an employee within the Crook County Courthouse.

Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended county resident John Roscoe at his home thanks to a warning call from a member of the public.

The call came in at around 3:40 p.m. on October 29 that Roscoe was “upset and had a gun”, according to incident reports from the Sheriff’s Office.

Before long, law enforcement had reason to believe Roscoe was targeting a specific person within the courthouse.

The incident report states that three deputies were dispatched to Roscoe’s property. They set up at the end of the driveway after calls to the residence rang through to an answering machine.

The caller was contacted again at 4:20 p.m. and reported that Roscoe had a pistol and said he was going to the courthouse.

According to the caller’s recollection, Roscoe had then left the home.

The called believed Roscoe had then returned, but was not sure who was now present in the residence.

One of the deputies made contact with two additional witnesses.

One witness stated that Roscoe had received a letter from the courthouse; the witness did not know exactly who it was from. However, upon reading the letter, Roscoe allegedly became angry and stated he was going to the courthouse to shoot someone.

According to the incident report, Roscoe then got in the van and left. Information from the witness also enabled the deputy to identify Roscoe’s intended victim.

With the help of the second witness, who spoke with Roscoe on the phone, deputies were able to ascertain that Roscoe had returned and was now located in his barn. He eventually agreed to surrender to the deputies.

Roscoe was taken into custody safely and has been charged with felony counts of making terrorist threats and intimidating law enforcement officers.