By Angela Pomponio
BELLEFONTE -- Penn State postdoctoral student Manoj K. Rout's mental state had been unraveling for some time, and mounting anxiety after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks didn't help.
Days before he allegedly caused a bioterrorism scare in the State College U.S. Army recruiting center, Rout, 32, of Indian descent, became increasingly paranoid and experienced delusions, psychiatrist Craig Feaster testified Wednesday in Centre County Court.
"He was thinking that his co-workers or people on the street were thinking he was a terrorist because of his complexion," said Feaster, who treated Rout for about two weeks at Centre Community Hospital.
"He also said he was walking by a computer store and saw someone who looked like God, and he was confused about whether he actually saw God," Feaster said. "He ultimately told me he was God and I was God."
Police said Rout, who was bound over for trial on charges of terroristic threats and disorderly conduct after Wednesday's preliminary hearing, walked into the Army center on Oct. 12, dropped a backpack on the floor and wrestled with one of the recruiting officers. Throughout the disturbance, Rout allegedly yelled incoherently and appeared extremely agitated.
State College officer Tony Lopinsky testified that once Rout was subdued and placed in a patrol car, he continued to mumble unintelligibly.
"I said, 'Is there a bomb in the bag?'" Lopinsky said of his conversation with Rout. "He said, 'No, white powder, white powder.'"
The Penn State Hazardous Materials Response Team was called to the scene, evacuating down both sides of College Avenue between Fraser and Burrowes streets as well as stores and bars on the 200 block of West College Avenue. Nothing harmful was found in the bag.
Detective Chris Weaver said Rout had only one moment of clarity while interviewing him at the police station.
"For the first few minutes he was rambling in English, saying he was Jesus Christ, he was American and loved America," Weaver said. "At one point, he looked me dead in the eye and said, 'Why are they helping those bastards in Pakistan when my country needs help? Why is America in Pakistan?'"
Feaster said Rout, who was doing postdoctoral work in Penn State's food science department, had been working long hours on a project and getting little sleep. He also suffered a mental breakdown in India five years earlier under similar stress.
Defense attorney Brian Manchester, who presented Feaster as a witness, argued that charges should have been dropped against Rout because he mentally didn't know what he was doing that day.
"He did not go directly into the Army recruiting center, drop the backpack and say, 'I have a white powder,'" Manchester said.
Rout was released from Centre Community Hospital on Oct. 24.
Angela Pomponio can be reached at 814-231-4624.