Bristolmanaccused of threats against Farmington churches makes death threat, has bond doubled.

Aug. 7—But immediately after Pickering, who had opted to represent himself, made the death threat, Judge Stephanie A. Damiani doubled his bond to $500,000.

As he was led out of the small courtroom to the courthouse lockup, Pickering said, "This is a declaration of war."

The judge urged Pickering vigorously not to discuss his case in detail during the recorded arraignment, in which anything he said would be available for later use against him at a trial.

Amid those warnings, Pickering didn't give a detailed explanation of his grievance. But he did say, "My children were kidnapped 13 years ago."

He said he had worked as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning service technician until Friday but resigned that morning because he knew he was going to be arrested and didn't want his employer to be affected.

"I am never going to work in the state of Connecticut again," he said.

At the beginning of the hearing, public defender Robert Fontaine objected to a television station's application to record the arraignment.

But Pickering disagreed, saying, "If anything, I've needed the press involved for years."

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The judge granted the station's application, noting Pickering's lack of an objection.

Fontaine said Pickering was eligible for representation by his office, but Pickering said he didn't want to be represented by the public defender.

The bail commissioner said Pickering has a "minimal" criminal record.

Pickering told the judge that he has been in court before. When she asked if he was comfortable representing himself, he said, "I'm comfortable. Comfortable as I can be."

Farmington Police Lt. Matthew Corcoran said after Pickering was arrested Friday that he was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, second-degree stalking, second-degree breach of peace and second-degree harassment.

He said Farmington police began investigating Pickering on July 25 after learning that he allegedly threatened staff members at St. Mary Catholic Church and St. Patrick Church in their town.

"The threats appeared to display an anti-Catholic bias," Corcoran said.

Bristol and Farmington police went to Pickering's home on Thursday with a warrant for his arrest on the Farmington charges. He refused to come outside, and police were unable to execute the warrant, according to Corcoran.

Corcoran said officers learned on social media that Pickering was barricading himself in his home and threatening police.

According to Bristol Police Lt. Geoffrey Lund, officers returned to Pickering's home around 3 p.m. Friday to serve the Farmington arrest warrant in connection with "very threatening and concerning comments" online.

Pickering was "explicitly clear" that he would not peacefully surrender to police, according to Lund. Following several hours of failed negotiations, Lund said, responders used tear gas and took Pickering into custody when he emerged. No one was injured, Lund said.

Bristol police also hold a warrant for Pickering's arrest in connection with threatening behavior, Corcoran said.