NEW BRITAIN, CT (WFSB) -
The man accused of making a threatening call to Central Connecticut State University on Wednesday morning appeared before a judge on Thursday.
Around 10 a.m. Wednesday, CCSU police said they received a phone call from 47-year-old Rufino Cotto Martinez.
Police said Martinez was very angry and said he was going to kill his girlfriend, who works on campus.
"He made a threat against her and against the university that he wanted to come here and kill her and kill other employees," said CCSU spokesman Mark McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said Martinez's girlfriend works for one of the food vendors on campus and said he was also involved in a similar threat at the college last summer.
When the threat was made, the campus was locked down and everyone was asked to stay inside, secure doors and call 911 immediately if help was needed.
"It's a nightmare for a college student," said CCSU grad student John Houston. "You hear about all these things across the country, and this is a really scary thing to think about."
Students, faculty and staff who signed up for text and email alerts were notified of the incident electronically.
McLaughlin said some of the notifications were out to incoming freshman who are still in high school.
An elementary school in Plainville was also locked down when school officials said they received the alert by mistake.
The all clear was given around 11:30 a.m. after police said they were in contact with Martinez, but he wasn't actually arrested until later in the day.
Police on the CCSU campus said that even though the immediate threat was over, everyone was urged to stay alert and call 911 if anyone spotted him in the area.
CCSU police said that while more charges may be filed, Martinez was initially charged with first-degree threatening and was also charged with an act of terrorism.
At court on Thursday, Martinez was ordered held on $550,000 bond.
His attorney said that he likely won't post bond, but if he does, Martinez has been ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, her children and CCSU.
His next court appearance was set for July 18.
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Rufino Cotto Martinez has been identified as the man who possibly threatened violence on the CCSU campus on Wednesday morning.
