The First Selectman of Bozrah, accused of outlining a plan to kill his soon to be ex-wife and himself, said he is not resigning his position due to the charges he is facing.
Glenn Pianka, 59, was arrested last month, charged with threatening, second-degree harassment and breach of police. Police said he was upset about a difficult divorce and sent letters to family members about a murder suicide plot, but his daughter kept him for carrying it out.
At his first meeting since he was arrested, some in the town thought he would be asked to step down. Pianka plans to keep his position through the investigation despite criticism.
“Tell them to come and see me and ask if I’m doing my job,” Pianka said.
There are two others members of the board and one had no comment. The other said he is standing by the First Selectman.
“Glenn’s doing a good job,” Selectman Carl Zorn said. “People are happy with what he’s doing. He;s going through a tough situation and we’re supporting him.”
Zorn said the board cannot force Pianka to step down, and while they have had discussions about it, they do not plan on asking him to do so. The other board members said they are monitoring the situation.
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Some said they cannot ignore the language in the arrest warrant. While the notes were vague, the concerning comments included, “over our dead bodies,” “Maybe a little jail time would do me some good,” I promise to make lives as miserable as mine is becoming … locks, court orders etc. will be useless,” and “This is my life and I am prepared to die defending the work of my life,” according to the arrest warrant application.
It said he’d had many sleepless nights since being served divorce paperwork and was depressed. It went on to said he had gone to the couple’s home in Lebanon, where he retrieved a loaded pistol and took it back to their Bozrah home, where he sat and waited for his wife to come home because he planned to shoot her and then himself, according to the arrest warrant.
Pianka is facing misdemeanor charges for breach of peace, harassment and threatening. He is out on $20,000 bond and due back in court April 20.
