Police say a domestic dispute in Wayne Township turned terrifying on Sunday night, when a 57-year-old Ellwood City man allegedly threw a woman to the ground, soaked her in gasoline, and threatened to set her on fire.
The victim, identified by authorities as 58-year-old Barbara Greenwalt of Ellwood City, managed to get out of the house and call 911. The suspect, identified as Lorenzo Wells, left before troopers arrived but was later taken into custody. State police say the case remains under investigation.
Police account
Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle said in a release, as reported by Beaver County Radio, that Wells screamed Greenwalt's cancer medication had been making her "crazy" just before he allegedly doused her with gasoline and shouted that he was going to "burn her up."
According to state police, Greenwalt called 911 after Wells left the home, and troopers later arrested him. Authorities said charges will be filed.
Charges and legal context
Wells was arrested on suspicion of making terroristic threats, according to authorities. In Pennsylvania, terroristic threats are addressed in 18 Pa.C.S. § 2706, which makes it a crime to communicate a threat of violence that is intended to terrorize another person or cause serious public inconvenience. Courts have held that prosecutors must be able to show both a communicated threat and either an intent to cause terror or a reckless disregard for the likelihood that terror would result, according to legal rulings cited by FindLaw.
In certain situations, such as when a threat triggers an evacuation or creates major disruption, the charge can be graded more severely, which in turn can lead to stiffer penalties, FindLaw notes.
Nearby incidents
This latest arrest comes on the heels of another case handled by the same New Castle barracks. On Feb. 2, Pennsylvania State Police arrested 51-year-old Brandon Falen on terroristic-threats charges, according to a separate report from Beaver County Radio. Both cases are part of a string of volatile domestic calls troopers have been dealing with in the region.
What happens next
State police said formal charges will be filed against Wells and that court dates are still to be scheduled. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle.
