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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, March 25, 2021

After Allegedly Threatening Law Enforcement, Mezzacappa Ordered to Relinquish Firearms

Last week, eight people - six of them Asian women - were shot and killed at Georgia  massage parlors by a mentally ill person. On Monday, an equally deranged lone gunman shot and killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket. Could this happen here? According to an emergency bail petition filed Monday by Northampton County Assistant DA Abigail Bellafatto (you can read below), threats of picking off state troopers and constables, "one at a time," are coming from West Easton Borough Constable Tricia Mezzacappa. 

Mezzacappa was found guilty on March 9 of lying to Pennsylvania State Police in an attempt to frame an innocent black man. Judge Stephen Baratta, who presided at the trial, ordered a psychiatric evaluation and deferred sentencing until April 21. 

According to the DA's petition, state police in Kutztown were recently contacted by a private citizen. He told them she had no intention of appearing at her sentencing. She allegedly said she "would escape court or not go and wait in her basement for PSP or Constables to show up and pick them off one at a time." 

I have a friend who happens to be a police officer, and he personally saw her buy both a shotgun and a glock recently. I have another friend who saw her open-carrying at Wegman's, of all places. So she definitely owns and has a penchant for displaying her firearms. 

Was her statement just an idle threat? I doubt it. She put some thought into what she said.  She allegedly handed this person an envelope and told him to open it if something happened to her. This person opened it and it contained her Will as well as a list of her bank accounts, passwords and pin numbers. This certainly sounds like she was planning to go out shooting. 

According to ADA Bellafato, Mezzacappa "poses a significant risk to herself and to the community." 

I'd agree. 

Bellafatto asked Judge Baratta to order Mezzacappa to surrender all firearms within her possession (good idea!). Although Bellafato noted that the Judge has the power to impose all kinds of other conditions, she limited herself to asking that Mezzacappa surrender her firearms. 

Judge Baratta immediately issued a bench warrant.  Mezzacappa was picked up yesterday by alert deputy sheriffs and brought before him. He ordered her to relinquish her firearms, but her bail was reinstated. 

This does not mean she's at large. If officials consider her a threat to herself or others, she will be committed for at least a brief period. 

I see no indication that PSP in Kutztown have filed charges for terroristic threats. She is alleged to have threatened to kill law enforcement. The private person to whom she made this statement was terrorized enough to contact state police, so there was intent to cause terror. State police were concerned enough to tag her as armed and dangerous. But she made the statement in Berks County, so whether she's charged is their call. 

One thing is clear. Mental illness and guns are often a bad combination. 

Updated 9:23 am

Mezzacappa Emergency Bail Petition by BernieOHare on Scribd

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sadly, this comes as no surprise. She is a very sick individual. I am glad the citizen came forward. She needs mental treatment.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, you have an unhealthy obsession with this woman. Your personal vendetta is obvious. If she is mentally ill hopefully she will receive help. The question is do you even realize you need help. A blog can be used as disguise for cyberbullying.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, did you notice that Mezzacappa posted a link to what she refers to as her "most recent win" of an Open Records Request, just a few days ago? If you read the OOR opinion at https://tinyurl.com/25racc6u you will see that she actually LOST her appeal that corrections officers at the prison when she was arrested in October be named, on the grounds that they may be subject to harm... and this decision was based on MEZZACAPPA'S own actions. They found that the officers might be subject to threats to their security. See page 14. Mezzacappa probably would not see the irony that she was arrested for threats to law enforcement members' security only six days after the OOR's opinion was issued, which was based on the same issue. You can't make a story like this up.

The only "win" in this opinion was that Mezzacappa can get mugshots of herself and others... what is she going to do with those, paper the pigpen outside her hovel on Ridge Street?

Anonymous said...

So much for her claiming she supports the blue. A potential tragedy has been stopped. You and Dees have been warning people for years she is dangerous and in need of mental help. If there was any doubt, it's gone now. Let's all hope she is banned from ever owning a weapon in the future.

Anonymous said...

Wait 'till The Blog Mentor loses to the DA. He'll run amok too...

Anonymous said...

If she's that far down the rabbit hole, it's time to stop publicizing it. Mental illness is a terrible affliction. Your posts in response to her irrational behavior were interesting and humorous,
but seem mean and dangerous at this point.

Anonymous said...

I thought you lived in Nazareth, not Kutztown.

Anonymous said...

"First, do no harm."

Mental illness is a tragedy. My family has struggled with an afflicted loved one. At this point, you're harming and not helping with these posts. Please stop. I doubt you'd kneecap a person with broken legs. We need to look at victims of broken minds the same way. First, do no harm.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Mental illness is a tragedy. My family has struggled with an afflicted loved one. At this point, you're harming and not helping with these posts. Please stop."

This is a person who has threatened to kill state troopers and constables. She owns two and possibly three firearms. She has posted a conditional threat to put hollow point bullets through my head if she sees me "stalking" her. Yes, she is mentally ill. She is also objectively dangerous and the public needs to be aware. Our willingness to allow dangerous people like her to roam the streets is one of the reasons we have mass shootings. I have no desire to see her in jail. I do have a desire to keep her from killing people. I don't know how much more clear it could be than it is now.

Whose Nutz? said...

Deeeznutz!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Given the comment at 7:16, it looks like she may be at large.

Anonymous said...

Finally. Bernie, this should have been taken care of over ten years ago when she threatened to put a hollo point bullet in your head and posted videos of Borough Hall with a coffin. Clearly the many small slaps on the wrist she has received didn't work. She has done nothing but torment and threaten Borough officials and residents, wasting endless tax dollars in the process. Enough is enough. I for one hope they throw the book at her. Mentally ill or not hopefully this is the end.

Anonymous said...

Such a wasted life she's created for herself. A black heart and ugly soul.

Anonymous said...

@8:11

It's been made impossible for mental health authorities to intervene. Look at what Bernie went through with that old drug addict harassing him. Crazy people have more "rights" than their victims...

Anonymous said...

The two posts that are critical of you for posting this news - and that is most definitely is what it is - news, claim that you shouldn't post about this because of the possibility she is mentally ill. This is simply not a logical or valid argument. You and Dees are trying to inform the community about a person who is acting against the interests of the community. This pattern has continued and escalated for years. We have a need to know about a bad actor like this one, mentally ill or not.

Only a few days ago, the Office of Open Records rejected her attempts to obtain the names of correctional officers on duty when she was arrested, finding that she posed a threat to them if their names were released. Contemporaneously she allegedly tells someone that she wants to "pick off" officers one by one. She has a hit list, figurative and possibly literally. This is a valid subject to blog about.

Huck Weaver said...

This Woman needs to be taken off the streets and get the help She needs

Anonymous said...

She needs to be in a place where she can not act on her thoughts. Sadly, I know of no medication or "therapy" currently offered that will address her mental health needs. But, that does not mean that other individuals should be at risk for her acting out. And there are many more towns that have individuals that are just ticking timebombs. Their families know, the local mental health agencies know and the local police/justice systems know.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Bill Villa, none of your comments will be published. Bray away elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

@6:26

You rightly removed his comments, Bernie, but it would be amusing to see what he has to say -- especially since WAEB and accused child abuser Bobby Gunther Walsh have settled out from under him for $5 Million.

Anonymous said...

OMG Bill Villa came out of the woodwork? He has exhibited a hatred for the Lehigh County DA for allegedly not doing his job. One would assume that he would support any article that exposes the physical threat that TM poses to innocent people who are just doing their jobs. Guess not. Sorry for the off topic references Bernie, but you fired first ;)

Anonymous said...

@10:18 Ask Paul Keller!

Bernie O'Hare said...

No he has been a long-time ally and friend to her.

Anonymous said...

@7:03 What's really hilarious is that Villa lives hand-to-mouth from meager handouts from his rich in laws and spends his days watching his betters such as Bernie's every word. What's pathetic and despicable is that in between he harasses his successful sisters and his elderly Mother who disowned him years ago. He never stops sinking lower...

Anonymous said...

2:06 AM - How do you know that information unless you work in the office that does the Right to Knows and should be confidential?

Anonymous said...

Apology for the previous post,I missed that she posted it.

Anonymous said...

Right To Knows submitted are not confidential. Office of Open Record decisions aren't confidential either.

Anonymous said...

@6:43 and @6:44 AM If you simply had copied and pasted the link that I provided, it takes you to the Office of Open Records repository, and you would see for yourself that it is on a state website for all to see. Here it is again: https://tinyurl.com/25racc6u She herself posted only a link to it, not the opinion itself. The fact she did that is irrelevant, other than helping everyone find it sooner.

Anonymous said...

Hey, speaking of nuts, whatever happened to Convict Ed Disgrace? He seemed to be as mad at you as Villa, just without all the prancing and lisping.

Anonymous said...

TM dropped 3 posts in rabid (lol) succession on her "community" WEC page yesterday, in which of course she blames everyone for her problems, which she insists *aren't* really problems but part simply complying with PSI. Says she isn't crazy, but a second opinion is definitely in order. She lashes out at NorCo and even at the WE manager. Claims she needs to carry protection because she feels "threatened". That is the CliffNotes version. Next she may be saying she hears voices coming from wall sockets. She really needs help.

Anonymous said...

Oh, for cryin' out loud. Have you read the latest screed this convict has posted on her Constable Facebook page. She claims that she discovered that her guns were stolen two days before her trial. How was she able to stay out of jail? She further claims that the County likes to make mountains out of molehills and names ADA Richard Pepper by name. She adds that she made her will, a POA and other documents because she is anticipating being for up to a year.

Does anyone know who if she did indeed relinquish her firearms or did the Court accept her explanation that they were stolen?

Trish: if your goal is to avoid jail, your posts are not helping your cause.