A New Castle man is jailed on half-a-million-dollar bond, facing 57 charges alleging that he made terroristic threats in four Pennsylvania counties.

Thirty-three-year-old Benjamin Bechtel was arrested last week as he returned to New Castle from Santa Barbara, California where he had been staying recently.

According to court documents, Bechtel is accused of making threats over several months against police officers, hospital phone operators, security officers and others.

On February 6, 2023, investigators say Sharon Regional Medical Center went into lockdown after Bechtel allegedly phoned in threats to shoot up a nurse’s station using an M16.

Police say between September 25, 2022, and March 27, 2023, Bechtel made several threats to bomb or kill people at UPMC Jameson in New Castle. At one point Bechtel allegedly waived a knife at a hospital security guard

Last April, it was Bechtel who police say called Lawrence County 9-1-1 and threatened the lives of police officers.

In March of last year, Bechtel allegedly made a phone call threatening to “shoot up” Slippery Rock University in Butler County.

That same month, State Police in Susquehanna Township allege that Bechtel called them threatening to kill officers.

Bechtel faces a total of 57 charges including making terroristic threats, making bomb threats, stalking, harassment, assault, and making false reports.