A University of Florida professor seems to have some violence issues.
[Richard Conley] was arrested Thursday on a domestic battery charge, after which he was put on leave and UF’s political science department briefly closed.
[He] was arrested on a misdemeanor charge in connection with allegations that he grabbed his wife by the wrist during an argument. The political science office closed early Friday as a result of the incident, according to an e-mail department chairman Stephen Craig sent to the department later that day.
“Because this individual has threatened violence in the past, it was decided that the best thing would be for the political science office to close early – which it did, shortly after 2 p.m,” Craig wrote.
… In May 2006, Conley’s ex-wife received a restraining order against him. That came after an incident in which, according to the restraining order, Conley allegedly referred to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office as the “Gestapo” and threatened to arm himself with shotguns and enough ammo to “blow these f—–s to hell.”
Conley said Tuesday he has never owned any guns and that the allegations were false. He said his ex-wife used the issue for leverage in a pending divorce.
“This was not something that I said. These are allegations. The matter was dropped,” he said.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Paul D’Anieri said Conley has been placed on leave while the most recent situation is assessed, but that Conley is free to come to campus. D’Anieri said he could not comment on a personnel matter, but that there was no “clear and present danger” in the decision to close the office.
“We’re in an environment that we almost have to overreact to these things,” he said.
… Conley’s attorney, Thomas Edwards, said it was a “huge disconnect” to close the office and attributed the decision in part to academic disagreements between Conley and Craig.
… According to an arrest report, Conley was involved in a domestic argument Thursday over financial issues and other matters in which he threw a wine rack in anger. [Wine rack. He might be violent, but he’s still a professor.]
… Edwards said he believes the case ultimately could be dismissed, attributing the situation to changes at UF and the economy.
“I think there are a lot of people who are under stress because of the economy and things that are going on,” Edwards said. [Tenured professors?]
In the 2006 incident, Conley’s ex-wife alleged that he threatened to purchase an “arsenal of weapons” and “go to the death defending the right to keep and bear arms on his property,” according to the restraining order. He told a deputy he had no weapons when he was served with the order, which was lifted later that month…
A scan of his personal website suggests Conley is a bit hot under the collar about the federal government… Big Brother Barack leads the Two-Minute Hate…