The threatening message reached the governor’s main office line at the State Capitol in Harrisburg around 1:48 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Staff members discovered the voicemail and reported it to the PSP Political Violence Threat Unit.
In the recording, the caller identified himself as “reactivated army intelligence” and said his mission was to “destroy the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” and ensure residents of the state “get executed,” investigators said.
The caller then used a racial slur while accusing Shapiro of stealing money from United States citizens, according to the release.
Investigators identified the caller as Theodore David Knott III, 38, of Roaring Spring Township, Blair County, police said. Public records show he previously lived in Delmar, Wicomico County, Maryland.
Corporal Christopher Zukowsky filed charges and obtained an arrest warrant on Friday, Sept. 4. Troopers took Knott into custody at his home and transported him to Dauphin County Central Booking.
Knott is charged with terroristic threats causing serious public inconvenience, harassment, and disorderly conduct, court records show.
Bail was set at $25,000 with a 10% requirement. PSP said Knott posted bail on Saturday, Sept. 5. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21.
Public posts on a Facebook account bearing Knott’s name include a string of rambling statements about Democrats, communists, bribery, terrorism, race, and supposed trillion-dollar “revenue pockets.”
In one April 2024 post, the account declared, “Several accepted bribes to terrorize citizens.” Another claimed people were being “taken hostage to make sets for cash,” while other posts discussed Catholics “using the underground to smuggle immigration” and lumber harvested from land where Black people had been buried.
A public court summary also shows Knott previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Blair County in 2022 and was found guilty of another disorderly conduct offense there in 2023. He was found guilty of harassment in Fayette County in 2024.
The investigation was handled by Trooper Jeffrey Kistle and Corporal Zukowsky of the PSP Political Violence Threat Unit.
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