Former Naval Undersea Warfare Center Employee Charged With Threatening Co-Workers, Police

MIDDLETOWN, RI — A Newport man who used to work at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Middletown is facing charges after federal prosecutors said he threatened his former colleagues.

Luis Sanchez Pardella, 38, was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

Between July 2022 and February 2023, Pardella made numerous menacing, and at times, threatening phone calls to at least eight of his former colleagues, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said in one instance, Pardella left a voicemail saying, "I will kill you and your wife when I see you on the street."

According to prosecutors, Pardella also made threatening phone calls to the Portsmouth Police Department. In the calls, he said that an officer and his wife "will be going to jail," that "the Portsmouth Police Department is corrupt," and "write down (name of officer's wife) is dead write down. The wife of one of your cops is dead. Do you know who (name redacted) is? Write down she is dead."

Pardella was released with GPS monitoring and was ordered to have no contact with any victims.

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.