FAYETTEVILLE — A man who police say shattered a storefront window in downtown Fayetteville and threatened to bomb the federal building pleaded not guilty Friday in Washington County Circuit Court.
John Scharnhorst III, 45, of 678 E. Fairlane St. in Fayetteville is charged with terroristic threatening, criminal mischief and aggravated assault on a family or household member, all felonies. Scharnhorst also faces misdemeanor charges of harassing communications and terroristic threatening in Fayetteville District Court.
Fayetteville police were called to a disturbance about 10:53 a.m. March 28 at Terra Tots at 15 S. Block St., Suite 102. They found shattered glass and objects on the ground Scharnhorst had thrown at the business’ windows, according to the report.
Scharnhorst was angry the store no longer sold his wife’s shoes and threatened to kill employee Nathan Hill, according to the report. Witnesses said Scharnhorst became enraged after Hill locked the store when he saw him approaching, according to the report.
Scharnhorst started to enter the shop after shattering the glass door, but drove off after seeing Hill had a weapon, the report said.
Police stopped Scharnhorst near the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building at 35 E. Mountain St. and arrested him, according to the report. Scharnhorst made a “vague threat” that led police to believe there could be a bomb nearby, and police evacuated the building. The federal building houses the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
Mountain Street was closed while the regional bomb squad searched Scharnhorst’s car, Stout said. The car was towed and the building re-opened about 1 p.m.
Jennifer Creel, owner of Terra Tots, said Scharnhorst had been making threats at her store and on Facebook for about nine months following a dispute over consignment sales.
Scharnhorst is being held at the Washington County Jail in lieu of $352,000 bond.