Anthony Spinelli Jr., a former reporter for the Valley Independent Sentinel, faces eight criminal charges after police said he exited a restroom inside the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall in Milford Monday yelling that a man inside the bathroom had a firearm.
There was no one with weapons inside the restroom, but police said they found Spinelli “in possession of an illegal knife,” according to a prepared statement from Milford police.
“Further investigation revealed that Spinelli had previously caused a disturbance at a food establishment inside the mall,” Milford police said.
Police said they found a large knife, a wooden baton, an ax and a BB gun inside Spinelli’s car.
Spinelli, 53, a Seymour resident, is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Spinelli is charged with four counts of weapons in a motor vehicle and single counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, falsely reporting an incident, first-degree breach of peace and second-degree breach of peace.
Spinelli worked for the Valley Indy from January 2011 until November 2011. He worked as a reporter for The Connecticut Post for 29 years before leaving the paper in 2009.
In recent months he had posted several bizarre, self-narrated videos on a variety of topics on his YouTube account. He also posted rambling messages on his personal Facebook account.
Spinelli has said he was trained in martial arts and was schooled in the use of martial arts weaponry.
Last week he was asked to leave a Seymour business after a display of odd behavior, according to a patron in the store. Seymour police were contacted.
Falsely reporting an incident is a class D felony, as is first-degree breach of peace.
