A Portsmouth county inmate charged with threatening the life of a local rabbi was arraigned Tuesday on new allegations that he threatened to burn the Cross Roads House homeless shelter if it did not “cast these people out,” referring to shelter residents of “the Jewish background.” According to police, Elijah Wallace, 23, made criminal threats within a letter he sent to the Lafayette Road homeless shelter with “a purpose to terrorize,” by citing an Aug. 14 deadline for it to “cast” out Jewish residents, “or Cross Roads Shelter will be not but ashes.”
Wallace appeared in Portsmouth District Court Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of criminal threatening. Because the district court does not take pleas on felony cases, a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf to the felony witness tampering charge.
Wallace previously appeared in the district court Sept. 5 on a separate felony criminal threatening charge, based on police allegations that he mailed a letter to the same rabbi threatening to kill him and his wife and to burn the city synagogue. According to the police complaint, Wallace’s letter to the rabbi said that on Aug. 15, “your wife shall forfeit her life … next you are to be gagged and cuffed inside your own oven … to find out … how long it takes you to scream …”
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