Iredell deputies search for man caught on camera after fake bomb threat at courthouse
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office says investigators are looking for a man they believe called in a false bomb threat to the county courthouse and District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities are seeking information from the public to identify the individual and on Wednesday released photos from surveillance cameras of a possible suspect.
Around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, an employee with the Iredell County Clerk of Court office received a call with the suspect saying there were explosive devices in two buildings, according to a statement from the sheriff.
The caller said he placed the explosives in the courthouse building and DA’s office because a family member of his was recently sentenced to prison. At the time of the call, over 100 citizens and employees were in the buildings, Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a statement.
Deputies evacuated both buildings but no bombs were found.
Investigators traced the call to a Wi-Fi signal accessed at a business on North Center Street, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Criminal Investigators immediately responded to the business and gathered video surveillance footage of a white male throwing a handheld computer tablet into a dumpster,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The tablet was recovered and is currently being processed for evidence.”
Images released Wednesday show the suspect near a dumpster. He’s wearing a blue tank top, gray sweatpants, and sunglasses, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to Campbell, the man was parked at the courthouse Tuesday and is seen in surveillance video walking back to his vehicle — a light colored SUV — and driving away before deputies arrived in response to the bomb threat.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office at 704-878-3100.
