Former student charged with threats on university campus, burglary in Hanover Township

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Apr. 3—WILKES-BARRE — A Kingston man was charged over the weekend in separate offenses involving a residential burglary in Hanover Township and threatening a student on the campus of Wilkes University.

Max August Liebetrau, 22, of Butler Street, was confronted in the basement of a home on Somerset Drive, Hanover Township, early Saturday morning, according to court records.

Township police allege Liebetrau was wearing clothes that belonged to a tenant claiming "Ralph's son sent me."

Liebetrau fled the house and was detained by police near McGovern Hill where he told an officer Jesus Christ sent him, court records say.

Police in court records say Liebetrau was carrying a duffel bag he took from the home that contained his personal wet clothing, coins, headphones, deodorant and a check book.

Liebetrau was charged with burglary, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass, theft and false identification to law enforcement.

In an unrelated case, Wilkes University police charged Liebetrau of entering the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center on South River Street, Wilkes-Barre, approached a female student during theater practice and told her he wanted to send a message to a male student on March 30, according to court records.

Liebetrau told the female student, "you need to send (male student's name) a message right (expletive) now, and tell him he needs to stay away from what is mine or I'll (expletive) kill him. Tell him right (expletive) now. Get in the theater and tell him that right now," court records say.

The female student told campus police she relayed the message to the male student.

The male student claimed he had not spoken to Liebetrau in nearly two years and had no idea what Liebetrau was talking about, court records say.

Campus police in court records said Liebetrau sent a social media post to the male student that was "verbal gibberish" but at the end of the post wrote, "sweet dreams."

As campus police were speaking with the female and male students, Liebetrau contacted campus police communications requesting to be let inside a residence hall. Campus police learned Liebetrau is a former student at the university and left behind personal property including his birth certificate, a dead rodent, a book of the Gospel, a butcher type knife and a note stating, "Hell is empty" scattered near a backpack on a side porch of the residence hall, court records say.

Wilkes University police charged Liebetrau with terroristic threats, disorderly conduct and harassment.

Liebetrau was arraigned on the separate cases by District Judge Joseph Zola in Hazleton and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility without bail.