Hempfield man accused of impersonating police, threatening staff at driver licensing center

A Hempfield man is behind bars after investigators said he claimed to be a policeman and threatened to shoot workers at a Jeannette driver licensing center, according to court papers.

William D. Faltz IV, 31, is charged with terroristic threats, impersonating a public servant, simple assault and disorderly conduct.

City police said they were called to the new center on Lowry Avenue just after 1 p.m. Friday after a man reportedly threatened staff and fled on foot. A female employee who greeted Faltz and tried to help him in the lobby told police he got irritated and yelled at her “I’m a police officer and I will shoot you,” according to court papers. An armed security guard reported that Faltz had his hand in his pocket and punched furniture and the wall as he fled toward a nearby car wash, police said.

Officers said they found the suspect hiding behind a storage facility nearby. He was detained at gunpoint and documents inside a file folder found on the ground near where he was standing identified him as Faltz, police said. He did not have a firearm.

Faltz is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 18. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

He pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to two summary harassment counts filed by state police in connection with a Dec. 26 incident in Hempfield, according to online court records. Faltz paid about $400 in costs and fees.

He is awaiting a March preliminary hearing in a simple assault case filed by Greensburg police in connection with a January incident, according to online court records.