A Lehighton man is in custody after he called 911 threatening to kill the Magisterial District Judge in Palmerton.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Cpl. Bruce Broyles of the Lehighton Borough Police Department in the case against Mark Duffy:

At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Carbon County Communications Center advised of a man who called 911 to report an emergency occurring at the Carbon County Correctional Facility.

The man identified himself to be Duffy, 35, who also provided his date of birth and full Social Security Number.

Carbon County Communications Center also said that Duffy also began claiming there was an emergency at the Magisterial District Court in Palmerton, and urged medical and police professionals respond to these locations as soon as possible.

Duffy made comments that he was trying to kill a Magisterial District Judge, with the Magistrate referenced as the Honorable William Kissner. The dispatchers determined he was safe.

Broyles determined that the phone Duffy was calling from was in the area of the Grove in Lehighton.

Shortly after this dispatch, Duffy was located on South Seventh Street (near the Grove) and taken into custody.

During this arrest, Duffy did tell responding officers that he was going to kill Kissner, and then stated he meant this metaphorically, as the William Kissner currently at the Magistrate’s Office was not real.

Duffy explained that when he does kill this William Kissner, the real one will be reborn.

It was confirmed there was no ongoing emergency at either the Magisterial District Court in Palmerton, nor the Carbon County Correctional Facility.

Duffy faces charges of false alarms to agency of public safety, terroristic threats, and communications with 911.

Duffy is currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 straight bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing May 31 before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.