Bucks County man charged with terroristic threats against Temple University

A Morrisville man has been arrested on terroristic threats and harassment charges involving Temple University and its campus police.

Patrick J. Buhler, 29, who has addresses in both Morrisville Borough and Mount Bethel, Northampton County, was arraigned on the misdemeanor charges Saturday before District Judge William J. Benz.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Buhler reportedly was buying ammunition at a Walmart in Levittown, Tullytown Borough, on July 31 when he had a conversation with another customer about security at Temple University, including asking questions about campus police and the department response time. Buhler also allegedly told the customer he would be seeing him in the news in the next two weeks.

The conversation, which was witnessed by a store employee, took place in the sporting-goods department while Buhler was purchasing five boxes of .223-caliber rifle ammunition. According to the criminal complaint, Buhler allegedly noted he was buying the ammunition because he knew that police wear body armor. The store employee felt uncomfortable with what he had heard and reported it to his bosses, who then contacted police.

While investigating the case, Tullytown Borough Police learned that Buhler had visited multiple Walmart stores where he made other purchases of ammunition, as well as knives, small-cylinder propane bottles, a two-way radio, and binoculars.

Contacted by police at his residence Thursday, Buhler reportedly said his conversation with the other customer at the Tullytown Walmart was a mistake. According to investigators, he noted that he had insinuated “violent things” and did not know what he was thinking when he said them. Buhler allegedly called the incident “one big f— up on my part,” according to the complaint.

This apparently was not Buhler’s only brush with the law regarding firearms. According to the Bucks County criminal complaint, Buhler was arrested in April in Flemington, N.J., for weapons offenses; he was alleged to be in illegal possession of assault-type weapons, rifles, handguns, large-capacity magazines, and prohibited ammunition. The status of that case could not be ascertained Saturday.

Buhler was taken to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail after the arraignment.