Fayetteville man given probation, conditions for threats

 John Scharnhorst
John Scharnhorst

FAYETTEVILLE -- A man who shattered a storefront window downtown and threatened to bomb the federal building pleaded guilty Wednesday to terroristic threatening in Washington County Circuit Court.

John William Scharnhorst III, 45, of Fayetteville was sentenced to 60 months of probation and ordered to pay $2,466 in victim restitution.

The probation comes with a number of conditions. Scharnhorst was ordered to have no contact with the victims, their families or places of employment. He is barred from being near Terra Tots, 15 S. Block, where he broke the window and harassed employees.

Scharnhorst also was ordered to be assessed at Ozark Guidance for domestic violence, anger management and mental health issues. He was ordered to undergo screening for substance abuse and comply with any treatment recommendations.

Further conditions include no social media use except as agreed to by the Arkansas Department of Community Punishment; allowing Community Punishment access to search all mobile devices he has access to and providing upon request login information for any social media accounts he may have.

A charge of aggravated assault on a family or household member was dropped after the victim refused to cooperate, according to prosecutors.

Scharnhorst threw objects through the front window and door of Terra Tots about 10:45 a.m. March 28, according to a police report.

He was angry the store no longer sold his wife's shoes and threatened to kill employee Nathan Hill, according to police.

Employees locked the store when they saw Scharnhorst approaching. Scharnhorst drove off after seeing one of the employees had a weapon, according to a police report.

Fayetteville 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 possibly was a bomb nearby. The building was evacuated for about two hours.

Jennifer Creel, owner of Terra Tots, said Scharnhorst had been making threats at her store and on Facebook for about nine months.

NW News on 06/30/2016

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