A Johnson City man who triggered multiple lockdowns at schools and other institutions in December will spend time in prison after admitting he livestreamed threats on social media.
Nicholas Skiba, 42, was sentenced by Broome County Judge Joseph Cawley on Wednesday to three years in state prison after pleading guilty in March to a felony charge of second-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
The charge stems from a Dec. 12, 2022 incident in which Skiba reportedly made several unspecified threats that were livestreamed on Facebook while he drove around in a vehicle and brandished a handgun.
The livestream event prompted the Binghamton, Chenango Forks, Chenango Valley, Johnson City, Maine-Endwell, Susquehanna Valley, Union-Endicott, Vestal and Whitney Point schools districts to lock down as a precaution.
Lourdes Hospital, UHS Wilson Medical Center and Binghamton General reportedly also secured their offices during that time frame.
Broome County sheriff’s investigators were able to trace Skiba’s location to state Route 12 in the Town of Chenango. Skiba’s unoccupied vehicle was found parked in front of a residence there.
Skiba and a passenger in his vehicle, Keith Hall, of Chenango Forks, were both taken into custody at that location.
Law enforcement officers searched the Route 12 residence and found numerous firearms, including the one observed on the livestream video. They also determined Skiba cannot legally possess a firearm in New York state.
Skiba and Hall were each originally charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies.
Hall’s case is still pending in Broome County Court.