A 19-year-old Sherman man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly threatened to shoot a health care worker in the head when she told him that she could not exempt him from a COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons.

Josiah Walker on Thursday allegedly went to the Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten to get a religious exemption from being vaccinated against the coronavirus. He asked the health care worker to fill out a form for the school he’s attending in Presque Isle, Penobscot County Assistant District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Friday.

When the worker told Walker that a member of the clergy had to fill out the form, Walker became angry and threatened to shoot her in the head, Almy said.

The health center went into lockdown mode after Walker left, and employees later saw him drive by the clinic several times in a white, two-door Honda, Almy said.

As police arrived on the street where Walker lived, his grandmother flagged an officer down and said her grandson had called to tell her what had happened.

She later called police to tell them Walker was in Presque Isle, where he was located and arrested.

Walker is charged with terrorizing, a Class C crime; criminal threatening, a Class D crime; and violation of bail, a Class E crime, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney’s office.

He appeared remotely before a judge from the Penobscot County Jail on Friday. Bail was set at $2,500 cash or $10,000 in property. Conditions include no contact with the victim or witnesses and that Walker not be within a quarter-mile of the health center.

In addition, Walker was ordered to report to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center for a psychological evaluation within one hour of being released from jail. He also must take all medications prescribed while on bail.

Almy called the incident an example of the kinds of threats and potential violence that health care workers face, especially from people struggling with mental health problems.

Information about why Walker was previously on bail was not available Friday morning.

If convicted, Walker faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 on the Class C terrorizing charge, the most serious.