This article was originally published on GoErie.com by Tim Hahn on Feb 5, 2018

Authorities have charged an Erie County Prison inmate with making threatening statements toward several prison staff members, including a deputy warden.

Allen Bennett, 58, was in prison Monday following his arraignment late Thursday afternoon on misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats and harassment. Erie 3rd Ward District Judge Tom Carney set Bennett’s bond at $100,000 following the arraignment.

Erie County Detective Todd Manges filed the charges on Thursday, accusing Bennett of making numerous “threatening and harassing” statements toward a corrections officer, a lieutenant and a deputy warden. In one statement, Bennett talked of knowing “a ton of people on the outside that would be willing to shoot you,” and in another statement said, “I don’t care, I’m going to be out soon anyway, and if I see you on the street I’m going to shoot you,” Manges wrote in the affidavit of probable cause accompanying the criminal complaint.

Manges also wrote in the affidavit that, in a prison misconduct hearing report and a review of video, Bennett clarified a statement of threats made, admittedly saying, “I will blow his brains out.” Bennett also made reference at the hearing to being a high-ranking minister of the Vice Lord street gang; and in another incident sent the deputy warden in-house mail claiming that the deputy warden was attempting to extort him, and stating in the letter that he would rather have “the guys” shoot him than “have you extort me for $186.25,” Manges charged in the affidavit.