An inmate of the Beaver County Jail created a hit list that included the names of several county officials, including Judge Kim Tesla, police said.
BEAVER — An inmate of the Beaver County Jail created a hit list which included the names of several county officials, including Judge Kim Tesla, police said.
According to a Pennsylvania State Police report, a hit list titled “death warrents (sic)” was found in the cell of Timothy A. Butler, 58, with 11 names that also included Pennsylvania State Parole Officers Nick Sobol and Cory Bish, Beaver County Detective Tim Staub, Monaca Police Officer Gregory Nichol, Tesla and Beaver County Probation Officer Eric Borham.
Five other non-county employees were named in the list, police said.
Records show Butler — who has addresses listed in Aliquippa, Ambridge, New Brighton and Pittsburgh — was in the Beaver County Jail as a result of a probation violation.
According to the report, officers became aware of threats made by Butler through an unnamed inmate. Police said the man told officers Butler began talking to him in late February about kidnapping a jail guard.
Butler also regularly told the man about his hatred for Borham, a probation officer, jail guard Joanna Jordan and Staub, police said.
According to the report, Butler said he wanted to kidnap Borham and Jordan with the help of the unnamed inmate. Police said Butler intended to kidnap Jordan and hold her as ransom so he could get to Borham.
Theinmate told officers Butler was working to memorize Jordan’s schedule “to ensure this plan would happen" once they were out of jail, police said.
According to the report, Butler also had plans to shoot Staub “from a distance with a rifle because he knew Staub would be carrying a gun.”
Police said he also made threats against a member of Staub’s family.
Butler told the man he “would attack the Beaver County Courthouse with an automatic weapon” at an unspecified time, police said.
According to the report, jail officials searched Butler’s cell and located the “death warrants” list as well as “writings that contained threats.” Police said Butler circled his release date in his personal planner and wrote the words “I’m a free man, kill em all.” Above the date, he wrote “Get ready to rumble world! I’m [sic] confused and bad!” police said.
Investigators interviewed Butler, who admitted to writing the threats, according to the report. Police said Butler told officers “he was not going to hurt anyone.”
Butler is charged by state police with criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault, criminal solicitation for kidnapping and making terroristic threats. According to court records, he was denied bond because he is a “danger to society.”
In October 2015, Butler was sentenced by Tesla to one year of probation after he pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment. On that same case, Butler was re-sentenced last month to serve between one and two years in jail for violating the terms of his probation.
Butler pleaded guilty in August 2015 to disorderly conduct and was sentenced by Beaver County Judge Harry Knaflec to six months on probation. According to court records, Butler was resentenced in October 2015 by now President Judge Richard Mancini to three months in jail for violation probation in that case. Again, in March, Tesla sentenced Butler to three months in jail for violating the probation.
Butler was also convicted in 2014 of harassment and in 2011 of simple assault, for which he was sentenced to between one day and one year in jail, records show.
Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said the case will be prosecuted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office because of the threat made to the Beaver County Detective’s Office, which Lozier oversees.
He was unable to offer any other comment.
Butler is represented by the Beaver County Public Defender’s Office, according to court records.