A 67-year-old Vineyard Haven resident was arrested Sunday after allegedly threatening to bring a shotgun to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital over a billing dispute, Oak Bluffs Police reported.
Stephen Green was charged with making terroristic threats after he reportedly called the hospital around 8 am on Sunday Sept 14, seeking to discuss a bill he allegedly received for four to five-thousand dollars. The hospital employee he was speaking to reportedly told Green that the billing department was closed on Sunday and it would be open the following business day. Green allegedly responded that he “would be in with a shotgun” to the employee before hanging up the phone, according to an Oak Bluffs Police report.
According to the reports, Green asked over the phone to the hospital employee on the initial call, “What is this all about? I was only in the emergency room for an hour for a tick bite,” before making the threats.
According to the report, the hospital staff member who took the call reported the incident to hospital security who then reported the incident to Oak Bluffs Police. Police immediately launched an investigation into the incident and were able to reach Green over the phone. Green told police that he “made a mistake” and admitted to telling the hospital employee that he would return with a shotgun, according to the police report.
After meeting with Oak Bluffs Police near the Cove Golf and Grill in Vineyard Haven, Green again admitted to what he had said. He was then placed under arrest without issue, according to the report.
Green pleaded not guilty to all his charges when he was arraigned at the Edgartown District Court on Monday Sept. 15. He was released on a $300 bail. Green has a probable cause hearing on Sept. 22 and has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, according to court reports.