A former employee of the Platte County Collector’s office is in jail after allegedly making threats against some of his former co-workers and co-workers’ families.
Joshua T. Ellington, 26, of Shawnee Mission, Ks., was taken into custody last week on a misdemeanor charge of harassment. He is being held on a cash-only bond of $20,000.
Ellington had been fired from the collector’s office last Tuesday. After being terminated, he went to the Platte County Annex at 7665 NW Prairie View Road at Platte Woods where he had been assigned and spoke with a former co-worker, Barbara Milton.
Later, at about 10:30 p.m. that same evening, he spoke with Milton by phone. Authorities say he told her he believed co-workers had conspired in a plot against him. According to court documents, Ellington allegedly made a reference to co-worker Becky Dye and and made a threat to harm Dye’s grandchild. Court papers allege Ellington stated harming the grandchild would “hurt her worse” and that he had previously hurt an infant for retaliation.
In the probable cause statement filed by Det. Michael LeTourneau of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, authorities say Ellington admitted to making statements about hurting a child under 17 so another would feel the hurt also. Ellington also admitted, according to the probable cause statment, to making a statement that he would push co-worker Carole Hensley down the stairs and cause an injury to her.
Ellington denied making a statement that he would use the codes to the cash safe for his personal gain but admitted to consideration of giving them to another person so they could break into the safe, according to court papers.
“I believe the defendant poses a danger to the community or to any other person because he has threatened to commit or cause to be committed bodily harm to others. He forms a belief of a conspiracy against him and has made threats of violence toward those he believes to be involved,” LeTourneau says in court documents.
Ellington was a clerk for the collector’s office for one year. He worked at both the collector’s office location inside the county administration building in Platte City and also at the Annex at Platte Woods.