The son of an appeals court judge in North Carolina threatened to damage a synagogue and burned a cross at a park last month, police said.

William Josephus Warden, 20, was arrested Sunday at his apartment complex in Cary, where he allegedly threatened to damage Congregation Sha’arei Shalom on Saturday, Cary police Capt. Randall Rhyne told the News & Observer.

Rhyne declined to provide details of the threatening remark, but said Warden made the troubling comments to a woman who answered the doorbell at the synagogue. He was later charged with misdemeanor ethnic intimidation, Rhyne said.

A subsequent investigation revealed that Warden had also erected a cross on Oct. 26 and burned it in Bond Park, which was not reported to police at the time. Warden is also suspected of distributing anti-Semitic fliers in a subdivision, police said.

Warden’s arrest came a week after a gunman stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh during Sabbath services, shooting and killing at least 11 people and wounding four police officers before surrendering.

Warden is the son of North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Inman, who attributed the allegations to her son’s struggles with mental illness.

“As Will’s parents, we could not be more saddened by the alleged conduct of our son on November 3rd,” Inman said in a statement to the newspaper. “Our family is inclusive and respectful of all people. Sadly, we, like many families, are dealing in this case with a mental illness, which we recognize and for which we have sought and continue to seek treatment.”

Inman said her family apologizes “profusely to the Jewish community and to all who have been impacted” by the incidents.

“And we are treating this situation with utmost seriousness,” the statement continued.

Warden has also been charged with a misdemeanor violation of a state statute that prohibits anyone from putting a “burning or flaming cross” on the property of another person or any public place, authorities said.

Inman, who has served as an appellate court judge since 2014, is up for re-election in 2022, according to the newspaper.

A judge has set Warden’s bond at $20,000. He was also ordered to stay away from the synagogue and the woman who answered the doorbell. He remained in custody as of Tuesday, jail records show.

“Our observations and our communications with law enforcement lead us to believe that our son has been exploited by people whose agenda is completely opposed to the inclusive values we espouse and live,” attorney Elliot Adams, who represents Warden’s family, said in a statement to the newspaper.