Seth A. Newman faces a felony and two misdemeanor charges related to a gun scare Tuesday.

A 19-year-old Henrico County dishwasher who once confessed on his MySpace page to being a "major Star Wars geek" has told police he was the person in costume with a pellet gun who prompted a four-hour lockdown Tuesday at the University of Richmond.

Seth A. Newman "was arrested [at his home] and subsequently confessed," a police search warrant made public yesterday states.

Newman was released on $10,000 bond yesterday morning and left Richmond's Public Safety Building with his father.

C. David Whaley, Newman's lawyer, declined comment about the incident or about Newman's background.

"I can just say that Seth's family and friends are very concerned about the situation and are taking all of this very seriously," Whaley said.

A search warrant spells out a potentially explosive scenario in which a man allegedly entered the university library with a request to investigate ongoing sexual activity.

Witnesses reported to police that the man had a gun and was turned away when he failed to produce identification.

A library employee "told police that [a male in a fake beard and sheriff's jacket] stated to her that he was a police officer and that he had heard that people were fornicating in the library and that he needed to spend the night."

Newman, the oldest of six children, lives at home in the 1700 block of Chadwick Drive near Henrico Doctors' Hospital (Forest).

A police search of the house Wednesday produced what was described in the search warrant affidavit as Newman's ID, insulin syringes, cameras, film, a plastic bag for a holster and "make-up removing" towelettes.

Newman's family has declined comment.

Police locked down the university after confirming that witnesses had seen the intruder with a gun, which later proved to be a pellet gun. Police have said the pellet gun has been recovered.

A spokeswoman for Little Sisters of the Poor, at 1503 Michaels Road, said that the home operated by the order on Michaels Road has cooperated with police. Police searched a locker used by Newman, who had been a dishwasher at the home for three years and after his arrest was placed on administrative leave.

Newman is facing a felony and two misdemeanor charges associated with concealing his identity and impersonating a police officer. He is scheduled for another hearing in July and could receive as much as 15 years in prison if convicted.

On various Web sites, Newman has revealed himself as a young man with eclectic interests, from fantasy playing to listing his heroes as actor Harrison Ford and Jesus.

"I love karate. It's a great way to let out my frustration," he writes in one entry.

But in more ominous entries, Newman has spoken of problems.

"I've struggled through so much and each and every time God has helped me through it," he wrote when he was 17. In a query to an online legal service last summer, a person named Seth Newman asked, "Are there any laws in Virginia regarding carrying around a sword?

"If I were to walk around in the streets with it would I have to keep it in its scabbard?"

Newman has said on Web sites that he was a student at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or bmckelway@timesdispatch.com.