MANSFIELD, Conn. — A Rhode Island man is accused of leaving an improvised homemade bomb in the bathroom of a Connecticut drive-in theater this summer, authorities said.
Matthew J. Farley, 36, of Harrisville, was charged with trying to manufacture a bomb and conspiracy to commit first-degree breach of peace, the Hartford Courant reported.
According to The Register Citizen of Torrington, a woman called state police in Connecticut on June 12 after a customer found a suspicious package at the Mansfield Drive-In during a Sunday flea market.
Troopers found the package behind a toilet, the Courant reported. It was described as being a tin situated on top of a cardboard box that had a drawing of a bomb and the words “flammable” and “5/6″ written on it, according to the newspaper.
Troopers suspected the device to be live, WFSB-TV reported.
That prompted police to evacuate the building and property while a bomb squad and the FBI investigated the area, The Register Citizen reported.
Detectives discovered multiple pieces of wiring and broken pieces of PVC tubing scattered throughout the bathroom and rendered the device safe, according to the newspaper.
After “complex and in-depth investigative steps,” evidence, including video surveillance, led investigators to Farley, the Courant reported.
The woman who called police identified Farley. In an arrest warrant, the woman allegedly received letters from Farley.
One envelope contained a note that said, “I’m not threatening you, but since you said you could ruin my life, I want you to know that if I had wanted to destroy your life, I have more than enough evidence in just texts you sent me.”
Also inside the envelope was a guide to making the device and a bulleted list of instructions that ended with “bow down slave,” according to the Courant.
The instructions began with the message: “Congrats. You didn’t blow up,” the newspaper reported, citing the warrant.
Farley is being held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court on Tuesday, The Register Citizen reported.