Published: July 24, 2007 11:57 am      

Bond reduced for trucker accused of threatening court judge

CUMBERLAND - Bond for a Cumberland man arrested Saturday in Garrett County on numerous charges of threatening an Allegany County District Court judge and other state officials was reduced from an initial $2.5 million to $750,000 during a bail review hearing Monday in district court.

John W. McKenzie Jr., 55, of Central Avenue remained jailed at the Allegany County Detention Center following the bail review, which was conducted by closed-circuit television between district court and the detention center. Judge Edward A. Malloy Jr. conducted the hearing.

Charged with various counts of extortion, threatening a state official, obstructing justice and retaliating against a witness, McKenzie was taken into custody without incident Saturday in Grantsville upon his return from a road trip in his occupation as a tractor-trailer driver.

The arrest was made by the Garrett County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team outside a Grantsville business on Alternate U.S. Route 40 despite McKenzie's efforts to resist being taken into custody.

According to district court records, the threats were made in a handwritten letter postmarked July 9 in Cumberland.

The letter was sent to Mark I. Cantor, an attorney in Owings Mills, who forwarded it to Kathy Stafford, clerk of district court.

C3I was contacted and immediately began an investigation, which led to issuance of the warrant for McKenzie's arrest.

According to district court documents, McKenzie sought financial and psychological damages of $5,000 that he suffered when he was forced to move from the Garden City Trailer Court on Winchester Road and into a house.

That court action was the apparent result of "a prolonged conflict with Bernard and Carol Greise, managers of Garden City Trailer Park."

McKenzie apparently felt compelled to move from the trailer park and into a house, which caused him to have financial burdens that he did not have when he lived in the trailer park.

McKenzie lost his court bid for the money at district court before Judge H. Jack Price but then appealed the matter to circuit court. The case was subsequently dismissed in circuit court when McKenzie failed to appear for a scheduled appeal hearing, according to arrest documents.

The court records show that McKenzie allegedly demanded payment of $55,100 by July 18 before he would end the alleged threat of bodily harm to individuals related to his court matter. They included Bernard Greise, manager of the trailer park, and Donald Barnes, the trailer park owner, and Francis C. Lanasa, Greise's attorney located in Lutherville.

McKenzie also stated in the letter that he was "armed 24/7" and that he would not "hesitate to kill anyone that attempts to arrest him," according to the court documents.

His residence on Central Avenue was searched by authorities July 17, the same day the arrest warrant was issued by Allegany County District Court. No weapons were found during the search, according to a C3I official.

Allegany County State's Attorney Michael O. Twigg said his office "takes threats against public officials, especially judges, very seriously."

"Any interference with the public administration of justice is harmful to the system. Therefore, we intend to prosecute this case vigorously."

Jeffrey Alderton can be reached at jlalderton@times-news.com.