Valerie Travis, 43, of Bensalem Township.
A Bucks County woman is facing charges after authorities say she made 116 false 9-1-1 reports and issued threats of violence against various judges, authorities, and Pride events, according to court papers made public earlier this week.
Valerie Joy Travis, 43, of Bensalem Township, was preliminarily arraigned Monday afternoon on charges of terroristic threats, criminal use of a communication facility, unlawful use of a computer, and disrupting emergency communication services. District Judge Michael Gallagher set the woman’s bail at 10% of $750,000, and she was transported to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
The arrest was made after an investigation that involved Bensalem Township and Bristol Township police and the Bucks County Detectives.
The series of false alarms and threats reportedly began on Aug. 16, 2022, and ended on May 30.
During that period, the Bucks County Department of Emergency Communications recorded 116 unfounded reports, all linked to a phone registered to Travis. Each report necessitated a response from both emergency communications and local law enforcement, authorities said.
Between April 28 and Aug. 1, Travis reportedly issued threats of mass violence through online channels such as the FBI National Threat Operations Center and local police department Crimewatch pages, police said.
Four threats specifically targeted District Judge Kevin Wagner and his Bristol Township courthouse on Bath Road, prompting an evacuation and closure. The threats impacted approximately 20 people and delayed an eviction hearing related to Travis’s mother, who was living at a Bristol Township motel, authorities said.
Police with dogs trained to detect explosives scoured the courthouse and surrounding area and found no evidence of a genuine threat, authorities said.
Further investigation tied Travis to other threats, according to police.
The additional threats included those against two other district courthouses, a Bucks County Department of Human Services worker, the Bristol Township Police Department, two motels in Bristol Township where Travis once resided with her mother, Philadelphia City Hall, and area LGBTQ/Pride events, according to the release.
On Aug. 1, Travis allegedly submitted an anonymous tip to Bensalem Township police warning that a hit was put on District Judge Joseph Falcon in the township, police said.
A detective found Travis and her mother were residing at the Red Roof Inn where the threat was made from, but she denied making it, police said.
A court filing lists threats of shootings, bombings, “mass destruction,” ambushes, and other means, police said.
County detectives received phone records that allegedly put Travis in the area of the location where some threats were made.
“Law enforcement in Bucks County takes every threat seriously and ensured the public’s safety by ruling out any actual danger existed from these threats,” according to a statement from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
The threats led to increased security at the courthouses and put authorities on edge.
Wagner commented to LevittownNow.com in the wake of Travis’ arrest.
“I’m relieved they found the individual they feel is responsible for this. Hopefully this stops any future threats and everyone can feel safe,” he said.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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