The man showed up outside the office of the U.S. attorney in New Jersey on Wednesday evening and was later allowed to enter without the bat. Law enforcement authorities are seeking his arrest.

The judge in the case gave little signal of how she intended to rule, but her promise to decide within two weeks was a clear sign that she wanted to move quickly.

William Kennedy raised money for the food pantry at his old church by reading from “Legs,” the gangster novel he began his celebrated Albany cycle with half a century ago.