AVIS — A Jersey Shore man’s potential murder plot against Pine Creek Township’s police chief was foiled with the help of a confidential informant recently.

Kevin Scott Fournier, 45, of Jersey Shore, was charged with criminal solicitation — murder of law enforcement officer of the first degree, terrorist threats with intent to terrorize another and person not to possess/use firearm following an investigation conducted by Sgt. Dennis Gill of the Pine Creek Township Police department.

Fournier is accused of working with a confidential informant, conspiring to murder the township’s police chief, David Winkelman, in 2024.

According to the affidavit for probable cause, a confidential Informant notified a Clinton County Deputy Sheriff on May 24, 2024 that he needed to get word to Winkleman to come speak to him. The informant told the deputy “he had information of a threat against Winkleman.”

Gill went to the Clinton County Correctional Facility to speak with the informant.

The informant told Gill he ran into Fournier during the first week of May and heard him talking about the Pine Creek Township Police Chief, David Winkleman.

The conversation caught the informants attention and they interjected in the conversation to learn more.

“(The informant) and Fournier talked and Fournier said he needed someone to get rid of ‘Winkelman,'” the affidavit reads. “(The Informant) said what do you mean get rid of,’ and Fournier said, ‘you know, get rid of.'”

The affidavit said the informant asked Fournier how much to do so and Fournier replied “it all depends.”

Fournier then proceeded to tell the Informant that he knew where Winkleman lives, that he knew the times the police chief frequented local establishments for breaks on duty and the times of the stops and that he was “trying to get rid of this mother(sic),” the affidavit said.

The informant told police Fournier said he would “holler” at him later to meet up and discuss the idea when the informant said he was broke and needed money.

The informant said he and Fournier were in the front seat of Fournier’s dark colored pick up truck where the accused had a small container of meth that Fournier intended to sell at the location and he showed him a small handgun.

“(The informant) states in (his) best description and opinion it was a revolver that appeared to be a .357. The gun was located by the center console of the truck,” Gill’s affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, the informant said he was willing to help in the case because “he had great respect for Winkleman.”

Gill’s investigation led to open-source research following his conversation with the informant.

“(I) was able to confirm that Kevin Fournier had a deep hate for Winkleman,” the affidavit reads.

According to the affidavit, Fournier posted on his social media accounts many times since 2017 about his intense dislike of the police chief — the most threatening post being in 2024.

After serving multiple search warrants to Google for Fournier’s three accounts, to Facebook for two accounts and Verizon for his cellphone, information was analyzed, the affidavit said.

This information confirmed Fournier had conversations with multiple people that Fournier was “out to get Winkleman.”

These comments included saying he “wanted to rid the area of the POS cop Winkleman” and how he’d “take him on a boat or in a cave, and no one would find him,” the affidavit said.

Gill provided a snippet of “approximately 100-plus” comments directed at Winkleman that included:

— Nov. 23, 2023: “I’m ready to take on the (sic) law too,” “wouldn’t be the first time, but this time they ain’t taking me nowhere, unless its in a (sic) bag.”

— April 17, 2024: “Like I said I’m going to rid this area of that piece of (sic) cop.”

— May 6, 2024: “I said I’m not even worried about it I am honest to God to the (sic) point where I’m just going to do away with that (sic) piece of (sic) wannabe cop,” “So I hope his old wrinkly (sic) (sic) is as bad(sic) as he thinks he is!,” “Oh I’m not going to jail!!!”

— May 27, 2024: “Well because of him I’ll be jobless and homeless So I’ll have nothing in the world to lose and nothing but (sic) time to make his life hell.”

According to the affidavit, the timeline of comments were consistent with the informant’s interview.

“The majority of threats to Winkleman are observed in the first six months of 2024,” the affidavit said.

The timeframe was shortly after Winkleman handled a call while on duty as a police officer for the township.

According to the affidavit, Winkleman was called by the Jersey Shore Water Authority, “in regards to Fournier having an illegal connection to the water line after his water had been shut off by the authority.”

The affidavit states Winkleman charged Fournier for the theft of services.

According to Clinton County Court of Common Pleas documents, Fournier was sentenced for theft of services and ordered to pay $1,086.07 in restitution to the authority by Judge Michael F. Salisbury on Sept. 16.

Gill’s investigation, and returns from search warrants of Fournier’s accounts, found pictures and videos of Winkleman while on duty and in a patrol car.

The affidavit said there were also pictures of Winkleman’s residence from multiple angles and “a comment made by Fournier indicated Chief Winkleman’s wife was present when one of the pictures was taken.”

“Chief Winkleman was not aware of these pictures or videos,” the affidavit said.

Based on the informant’s information that, on that initial night, Fournier said he knew Winkleman took coffee breaks at the McDonald’s in McElhattan in the late evenings, Gill was able to determine Fournier searched on June 29, 2024 the McElhattan McDonald’s, its hours and address.

He also searched on June 23, 2024 “a critical incident teams’ response to officer-involved shootings.”

“GPS location information contained within the accounts showed location history in the immediate vicinity of Chief Winkleman’s residence and some of the GPS location pins were in the yard of Chief Winkleman’s residence,” the affidavit said.

Gill’s investigation also uncovered multiple message conversations with his mother about Winkleman.

The affidavit states he told his mother that “he is going to need a sawed-off shotgun (.410).”

Pictures of Fournier with a sawed-off single shot gun — one with it in a holster on his side, one with the barrel broken open and another showing Fournier placing a .410 shell in the barrel, the affidavit said.

“(The informant) stated (he) was present at Fournier’s residence in Pine Creek Township when Fournier cut the barrel off of the .410 shotgun,” the affidavit said.

Fournier was observed in other photos with a Taurus handgun in his front waistband and, in a comment to another man, Fournier and the man discussed guns and stated his was a Taurus 9mm, the affidavit said.

The affidavit also notes Fournier made comments multiple times in different messages “that he suffers from PTSD and should take medication to control his thoughts and actions.”

“Fournier states the PTSD is a result of him being a combat veteran. He states he was in the 75th regiment special forces and he was deployed to combat three times. Fournier states he was shot by two 6.5mm bullets to the back of his right leg after letting his guard down and being shot by a 9-year-old female protecting her family,” the affidavit said.

He further stated in 2004 he was “taken prisoner of war for five weeks.”

The affidavit states, “he says he is not to be alone at night due to the PTSD and seizures from the trauma.”

It was noted in the affidavit most of the comments were made to women Fournier would meet online and that he “does make numerous comments that his mental health is in a bad place, and he’s not sure if he will come out of it this time and does state he has been locked up an institution for mental health in the past.”

Through his investigation, Gill was able to determine Fournier never served in the armed forces and was never deployed or wounded in war.

The affidavit states Fournier was arrested in September 2024 by Pennsylvania State Police and a cellphone was seized.

Gill obtained “every phone call Kevin Fournier made from the time of his arrest in September 2024 until the present time.”

The affidavit says Fournier had multiple conversations with his mother about their dislike of David Winkleman and “Fournier blames Winkleman for all the problems Fournier is going through.”

At the conclusion of his investigation, Gill stated in the affidavit, “Kevin Fournier had every means possible and the mindset to follow through with the comments and threats made about Chief David Winkleman.”

According to court documents, Fournier’s preliminary hearing set for Sept. 22 was continued to Oct. 13 and will be held in front of District Judge Heidi Wright.