Husband Threatened Wife Over Bills, Police Say

A Bethlehem Township man, apparently unhappy he was paying all the family bills, threatened to kill his wife “if she ruined his credit,’’ also threatened to kill their 8-year-old daughter and their dog, and later burned a tablet PC his wife bought for their daughter in the fireplace, according to court records.
 
Police arrived at the home of  Richard James Lazar Jr., 48, of 3170 Wilson Ave. around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, about two-and-a-half hours after his wife had gone to Bethlehem Township police headquarters to file a domestic report. She said that late Friday afternoon, her husband was on the phone with a credit card company.

”She advised that after she got off the phone, Richard told her that he would kill her if  she ruined his credit,” the records state.

The records continue, “[The wife} advised that Richard had been mad because he is paying all the bills, since she had to resign from her job.”
 
The wife and daughter left but returned around midnight. Lazar continued threatening her and sent two threatening text messages to her cell phone at 3:12am and 3:29am.

Asked by police why she didn’t report her husband’s behavior sooner, she said she feared for her life and her daughter’s life. The wife “advised that Richard has threatened to kill her in the past if she tried to leave or file for child support,” the records state.

Lazar denied to police that he made threats to his wife but “he did advise that he burned a cell phone thing,” the records state.

He was arraigned by District Judge Jackie Taschner on charges of simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment. He was jailed after failing to post $10,000 bail.