N.Y. man accused of Obama death threat

A New York state man is facing charges for allegedly threatening to kill President Obama and Saratoga County school children, authorities say. U.S. Secret Service agents and local authorities arrested Brent G. Dickinson of Saratoga Springs and charged him with two counts of making a terroristic threat. Dickinson is accused of sending two communications to a White House message board about 11 p.m. Friday in which he threatened both the president and children at unspecified elementary school, District Attorney James A. Murphy III said in a statement posted on his office's Web site. "In both instances, it is alleged that the defendant intended to murder the intended targets," Murphy said. "While the threat was not specific as to which elementary school, I believe we can never be too careful, especially in light of the recent case of the horrific school shooting in Ohio and elsewhere across the country." Saratoga Springs police Lt. John Catone said school administrators were alerted "to make sure they were aware of the threat and they could take whatever security precautions that were needed." Dickinson was arraigned in Saratoga Springs City Court where his bail was set at $100,000 and he was remanded to the county sheriff's department. Dickinson is to be back in court Tuesday and the case will be presented to a county grand jury in the near future, the release said. Murphy said Dickinson had a history of missing court appearances in other, unspecified cases, had no significant ties to the area and no long-term employment record.