PD: Man Made Charged With Threatening to Shoot People Inside Home Depot

An East Hampton man with a criminal record was arrested the day before Thanksgiving after police said he made statements that he was going to shoot people in the Middletown Home Depot.

Peter Ereshena, 43, of 467 Moodus Road, was taken into custody on Nov. 21 on charges of a breach of peace and threatening stemming from the incident at the Washington Street store.

According to a police report, Ereshena and another unidentified man came to the Home Depot to return two plumbing pipes, but was refused the return by the store clerk because a piece of one of the pipes was cut off.

Ereshena then allegedly told the clerk he was going to come back again to return the pipes and, if he was given a hard time again, he was going to get a gun from his car and “shoot everyone in the store,” the police report said.

The man then allegedly said the clerk seemed like a nice lady and he warned her, “if I come back to return the pipe and tell you to run, you should run because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Immediately after Ereshena and the other man left the store, the Home Depot staff called police. Responding officers located the two in the parking lot in an F-150 truck, police said.

Ereshena denied saying anything about threatening the store clerk or saying anything involving a gun. He did, however, admit that the last time he tried to return the pipes and was denied it made him want to “go postal” — a term often associated with shooting people.

Ereshena was booked and posted a $2,500 surety bond. He is due in Middlesex Superior Court for his arraignment on Dec. 5.

According to online court records, Ereshena served jail time for narcotics possession and was previously charged with violating his probation.

The second person was not identified in the police report.