EVANS CITY — A Valencia man who was ordered not to return to The Goddard School in Adams Township testified in a Wednesday, Feb. 18, preliminary hearing the incident behind the prohibition was the result of a dispute about the safety of the school’s electrical system.

James Chester Linn, 72, pleaded guilty to summary disorderly conduct at the hearing following a confrontation with the school’s owner, Giovanni Cuzzocrea, on Dec. 8.

Linn was also charged with one misdemeanor count each of retaliation against a witness and harassment, but District Judge Amy Marcinkiewicz dismissed the charges.

Linn, who had a 54-year career as an electrician, said he was at the school Dec. 8 to speak with a representative about electrical safety. He said his grandson was issued a citation the previous week when he pulled a lever attached to the school’s outdoor electrical unit, which cut power to the school.

He argued the lever required a lock to be up to electrical code and could result in injury. Linn included an anecdote from earlier in his life about how he’d seen a family member killed by an electric current when safety guidelines weren’t followed.

Cuzzocrea testified Linn came to the school Dec. 8 and was seen on security cameras walking around the property. He then left the property but came back about 10 minutes later and began trying to open the locked front door.

Cuzzocrea said Linn was aggressively shaking the door, yelling and cursing when Cuzzocrea went to meet him at the door.

He testified Linn kept repeating “he’ll get someone killed” referring to the electrical unit.

Linn rebutted the claims of his behavior during his testimony.

Adams Township police responded after Linn left. Locks have since been installed on the electrical unit.