Man charged with threatening Franklin business owner

A Lehighton man has been charged with threatening the owner of a business in Franklin Township.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Franklin Township Police Chief Jason Doll:

At 12:13 p.m. June 13, Doll was dispatched to a report of a man trying to enter a closed business along Interchange Road. Once on location, Doll was met by the owner of the business, who said she and a few other girls were there to work on the shop to get it open soon.

She said she saw a man who she is familiar with walking to the front of the shop and that she had a hair salon at a different address on Interchange Road where the man would come in and cause issues. She said she told him not to come into the old location in the past.

As she saw him enter the front door of the building into the small highway area she ran to the door of her shop to attempt to lock the door, which is full glass, and she could see the man on the other side.

As she got to the door, he pushed it open. She then got on the other side of the door and told him they are closed and attempted to close the door, but he began pushing from the other side.

She said she continued to tell the man that they were not open yet and that he could not come in, but he continued to push from the other side of the door and began yelling at her and cursing.

She said the man was shaking the door trying to get in, and that they both were pushing from either side of the door when he yelled a derogatory remark to her.

She said the man continued to yell and curse at her, but she was able to close the door.

Her mother, the owner from the other business in the hall, heard the interaction and ran to her door to lock it.

At that point, the man was in the hallway area with no other place to go.

He then yelled, “I curse you in the name of the devil all you be cursed by Satan, you are a (expletive) and the devil is coming for you.”

The man then left out the front door and took off down Interchange Road in the area of Weissport.

They then called the police, and Doll spoke with the girl, who said she was scared the man will come back, and that she would like charges pressed.

The man in question, Larry Rausch, 65, was located in the area of Weissport and taken into custody without incident.

Rausch faces charges of criminal trespass, defiant trespass, simple assault — attempt by menace, and terroristic threats.

He is currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail, and scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing July 17 before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton.