
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994                   TAG: 9403160105
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE                                LENGTH: Short

`FAKE' MARSHAL SPOKE TO CLASSES, DISPLAYED GUN

A Dale City man charged with impersonating a U.S. marshal spoke at a Prince William County high school earlier this month and brought a gun, a student said.

The student said the man introduced himself as "Joe Picarello, U.S. Marshal," and showed students his 9 mm handgun.

"He pulled it out of his holster, held it up for all of us to see and laid it down on one of the counters," said Joey Mader, a junior at Hylton High School.

State law prohibits anyone, except police officers, from carrying a gun on school property, said Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert.

Picarello, 36, was arrested March 9.

School officials never conducted a background check on Picarello, who spoke twice to business law classes.

by CNB