Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Whitpain Township Police Chief Kenneth Lawson announced the arrest of Edward Cieri Jr., 39, of Philadelphia, for threats he made against a staffer at the Montgomery County Republican Committee and its office.

On Saturday, Oct. 26. 2024, Whitpain Police were dispatched at 11:18 a.m. to the Montgomery County Republican Committee Office on Penllyn Blue Bell Pike in Whitpain Township. A staffer reported that a male called the office and called the staffer a derogatory term for a gay man. The staffer responded by mocking the male caller. The caller then threatened to shoot the staffer and told him that he would “shoot the place up” or “blow it up.” Whitpain Police traced the phone called to Cieri.

“This defendant crossed the line into criminal behavior when he threatened to physically harm a political staffer and threatened violence against a political office,” said DA Steele. “That criminal behavior will not be tolerated in Montgomery County. We are committed to a fair, safe and free election, and all of Montgomery County law enforcement is committed to acting swiftly to investigate any threat of violence related to this election and arrest the individuals involved.”

Cieri was arrested and charged with Threatening to Place Weapons of Mass Destruction, two counts of Terroristic Threats and Harassment. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Maureen Coggins, who set bail at $35,000 unsecured, with additional conditions of no contact with the victim, stay away from all Republican Committee offices and no possession of firearms. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m., Nov. 14, 2024, before Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant Chief of Trials Tanner Beck.

Photo: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office