LAUREL, Del. — Laurel Police arrested a 51-year-old Lewes man after investigators say he made threatening and hateful phone calls to employees at a local insurance business.
Police say officers were contacted around 4:33 p.m. March 5 by staff at The Insurance Market about a series of disturbing phone calls from a customer identified as Brian.
During the calls, police say Brian allegedly became extremely disorderly and directed obscene profanity toward an employee. Police claim the conversation escalated to racial and religious slurs directed at the employee along with threats of violence.
According to Laurel Police, the owner of The Insurance Market later called the man and told him his business would no longer be accepted. During that conversation, the man allegedly continued using profanity and threatened to locate the owner and commit acts of violence.
An investigation by a Laurel Police officer identified the caller as Brian Rightsell, 51, of Lewes. Investigators later obtained an arrest warrant charging Rightsell with disorderly conduct, harassment, terroristic threatening and a hate crime.
Rightsell is out on bond. As part of his release conditions, the court ordered him to have no contact with the victims or any locations of The Insurance Market.
Police say the charges are allegations, and Rightsell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.