Police find 20 rifles in Maryland 'joker's' home

Maryland police seized a large array of weapons from a local man's home early Friday morning after he allegedly referred to himself as "a joker" while threatening his employer, WRC-TV reported.

Authorities did not name the man they arrested, but WRC and other sources have identified him as Neil Edwin Prescott, who had been working for a subcontractor for Pittney Bowes. According to The Washington Post, 20 rifles and handguns and 40 boxes of ammunition were taken from his home. WJLA-TV reported Friday that he had a gun-collecting permit.

"What we believe was a significant threat has been averted," Anne Arundel County police chief James Teare said at a Friday afternoon press conference.

Mark McGaw, police chief for Prince George's County, said authorities were told by current Pittney Bowes staff that Prescott said, "I'm a joker and I'm gonna lower my guns and blow everyone up" during recent phone calls, despite acknowledging the inflammatory nature of such language in the wake of the shootings in Aurora, Colorado last week.

The Baltimore Sunreported that Prescott threatened to "shoot the place up." In a statement, Pittney Bowes said Prescott had not been on company property for more than four months.

Officials said Prescott, who was about to lose his job, was apprehended without incident and taken to an area hospital for psychological examination.

[image via Prince George's County Police Department on Twitter]