Mar 10, 2017 4 min read

A man who was arrested Thursday following an incident at Walmart in South Strabane Township walked into South Strabane Township Police Department Friday carrying at least two weapons and demanded police return a handgun and a cellphone seized during the arrest.

Sgt. Mike Manfredi said Allen Lepley, 37, of Amity, entered the lobby of the building with an AR-15-style rifle strapped on his back, a handgun holstered on his leg and extra magazines about 3:45 p.m. and said he wanted his property back.

Manfredi said Lepley did not behave belligerently, but demanded his property and “what his rights were.”

“But his presence, armed in the lobby of our police station, was certainly interpreted as a potential threat. I was able to speak to him in a calm manner,” said Manfredi, who instructed Lepley on the steps he needed to take to recover his property. “In no way did he make an implicit or specific threat. It felt like he was trying to provoke something further, but there was no need to go there.”

Manfredi said the encounter ended minutes later and Lepley left the police station.

He was not arrested.

Manfredi said Lepley left without his gun and cellphone, “but appeared satisfied.”

Police from North Strabane and North Franklin townships, East Washington and the city of Washington, and Washington County sheriff’s deputies responded to provide assistance.

Lepley was arrested Thursday and faces charges of terroristic threats, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct after he allegedly threatened a Houston woman who pulled into an open parking spot outside Walmart.

According to the police affidavit, Lepley, who was driving a red truck, allegedly backed up his vehicle, blocking in the woman, and yelled at her.

The woman, who had a young child in the back seat, remained in her car because she was fearful of Lepley’s behavior. Lepley then parked his vehicle in a space further down the aisle and approached the driver’s side of the woman’s vehicle, where she observed a firearm on his hip and became frightened, according to the complaint.

Lepley allegedly continued to scream at her, apparently recording her on his phone, and telling her, “You’ll be sorry” and that she was going to be on Facebook.

When Lepley went into Walmart, the woman called her husband from her vehicle.

Several witnesses and bystanders had gathered in the parking lot during the incident, according to the affidavit.

Lepley walked out of Walmart while officers took information from the woman and witnesses, and Lepley screamed at police officers to arrest the woman for “illegal window tint.”

Police noticed an open-carry firearm on Lepley’s hip and advised him to keep his hands visible.

Lepley ignored police officers’ commands and questioned if he was under arrest, the report said.

He said he did not consent to any search or seizures under the Fourth Amendment, and then reached with his right hand toward his waist. An officer grabbed him by the arm and instructed him not to reach for anything, the report said. Lepley disregarded the command and reached into a sweatshirt pocket to retrieve his phone. He refused several requests to produce a driver’s license or identification card.

According to the report, Lepley yelled throughout the encounter and repeatedly asked officers to recite the crimes code violations he was committing.

Lepley started to walk away from officers after they advised him he was under arrest, and he was combative during the arrest, according to the affidavit.

Following his arrest, Lepley was taken to the hospital for treatment of a medical condition.

Manfredi said a preliminary hearing will be scheduled.