Nov 9, 2017 2 min read

A Union Township man was jailed Thursday after threatening to shoot Ringgold school teachers in multiple Facebook posts this week.

George J. Shallenberger, 44, of 175 Gilmore Road, was charged by Monongahela police with one felony and one misdemeanor count of terroristic threats after allegedly posting on the social media site Wednesday that the Ringgold teachers, who have been on strike since Oct. 18, should be shot.

“Easiest job in the world but they need more money,” Shallenberger wrote in his post, according to the criminal complaint. “Shoot them and start over.”

Police said Shallenberger’s Facebook posts about the teachers began Oct. 6, when he allegedly called the teachers “snowflakes” and said they “need to get real jobs.” On Wednesday, his comments took a darker turn, police said, when he allegedly posted, “Guns don’t kill people. I kill people. Happiness is a warm gun.”

The school district’s superintendent, Karen Polkabla, said the teachers became aware of the online threats about 11 a.m. Thursday, while they were picketing near the school. She said when the district’s security team notified police, two Monongahela police officers were stationed at the school near the picketers.

“I really think there wasn’t a time when our teachers were unsafe,” Polkabla said.

She also said she’s never been a fan of Facebook, especially now, calling it a “vehicle for people to make threats.”

“I think it’s very disturbing that someone would want to threaten our teachers,” she said.

Police said that when they contacted Shallenberger by phone, he told them that “it was just a stupid social media post,” before hanging up on them.

Shallenberger was arrested Thursday and arraigned by District Judge Larry Hopkins. He is being held at the Washington County jail on a $150,000 monetary bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 5.