NJ man threatened Washington State college via phone, police say

MORRIS PLAINS — A New Jersey man was arrested Monday on charges he threatened a college in Washington State over the phone, leading to the school's shutdown for two days in a row.

Robert W. Kerekes Jr., 53, of Morris Plains was charged with making threats on June 2 and 3 to Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, accoridng to Morris County Prosecutor Frederic Knapp. A large number of state and local law enforcement responded on both days.

KIRO TV reported a call on Thursday, June 1 from a man said that he was on his way to campus with a .44 Magnum and told the Thurston County police dispatcher, "I am going to execute as many people on that campus as I can get a hold of. You have that, what's going on here, you communist scumbag?"

The Seattle Times reported the school remained closed on Friday, June 2. The school closed again on Monday, June 5 after receiving a threat over the weekend.

Knapp did not specify the threats Kerekes made against the school in his statement.

Evergreen holds a  yearly "Day of Absence and Day of Presence," in which minority students voluntarily left campus for the day for discussion. This year, however, white students, staff and faculty were asked to leave the campus for the day.

Biology professor Bret Weinstein, said he would not participate and  was confronted by students who demanded his resignation as the event became a forum on how black and disabled students were treated by campus police, according to the student newspaper The Olympian.

Kerekes  was charged with crimes of terroristic threats, criminal cohersion, and false public alarm 2C: 33-3. He is being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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