Flower Mound Leader > News
Charges upgraded for bomb threat suspect
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
The Flower Mound Police Department has upgraded the charges for 18-year-old Matt Pumphrey, who was arrested Tuesday for posting a bomb threat on his Twitter account, police say.
The Marcus High School student was arrested on campus, though Assistant Police Chief Wendell Mitchell said the campus wasn't tied to the incident. He was originally charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class A misdemeanor.
Later, the charges were upgraded to making a terroristic threat/impairing public/government service, which is a third degree felony. Pumphrey has been arraigned, and bond was set at $5,000.
"When we met with him and looked at the elements of this case, this fits a third degree felony," said Capt. Kurt Labhart.
At 1:09 p.m., Flower Mound police received a report that a bomb threat was posted on a local Twitter user’s account from a person who saw the tweet.
Police say it’s unclear where the tweet was made.
Labhart said the Twitter message mentioned a red Acura in the town hall parking lot that would explode.
Flower Mound Town Hall, the Shirley Voirin Social Senior Center and the Cross Timbers YMCA were evacuated at 1:30 p.m. Pumphrey was arrested at 2:18 p.m.
Mitchell said it is unclear what the motive was behind the threat, but he said the threat was just a hoax. Pumphrey told police it was just a joke.
“It had nothing to do with today being Election Day,” Mitchell said. “Town Hall was not a voting location. We don’t have a cause yet, and we’re still investigating.”
There have also been reports of a bomb threat made in Farmers Branch the same day, but Mitchell said those two incidents are not related.
Eastbound traffic on Cross Timbers Road was temporarily diverted by 1:40 p.m.
The evacuated buildings were re-opened at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The Marcus High School student was arrested on campus, though Assistant Police Chief Wendell Mitchell said the campus wasn't tied to the incident. He was originally charged with making a terroristic threat, a Class A misdemeanor.
Later, the charges were upgraded to making a terroristic threat/impairing public/government service, which is a third degree felony. Pumphrey has been arraigned, and bond was set at $5,000.
"When we met with him and looked at the elements of this case, this fits a third degree felony," said Capt. Kurt Labhart.
At 1:09 p.m., Flower Mound police received a report that a bomb threat was posted on a local Twitter user’s account from a person who saw the tweet.
Police say it’s unclear where the tweet was made.
Labhart said the Twitter message mentioned a red Acura in the town hall parking lot that would explode.
Flower Mound Town Hall, the Shirley Voirin Social Senior Center and the Cross Timbers YMCA were evacuated at 1:30 p.m. Pumphrey was arrested at 2:18 p.m.
Mitchell said it is unclear what the motive was behind the threat, but he said the threat was just a hoax. Pumphrey told police it was just a joke.
“It had nothing to do with today being Election Day,” Mitchell said. “Town Hall was not a voting location. We don’t have a cause yet, and we’re still investigating.”
There have also been reports of a bomb threat made in Farmers Branch the same day, but Mitchell said those two incidents are not related.
Eastbound traffic on Cross Timbers Road was temporarily diverted by 1:40 p.m.
The evacuated buildings were re-opened at approximately 2:30 p.m.
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