WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. — A Baltimore man is in police custody following bomb threats made against the Circuit Court for Washington County and a sitting Circuit Court judge.
Jamil Nicholas Gardner, 32, was arrested Wednesday by State Fire Marshals in Howard County.
Authorities say that on Monday, between 7:30 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., two Circuit Court employees received phone calls stating that a bomb was inside the courthouse and that a judge was going to die.
Court security protocols were immediately implemented, and police responded to the courthouse to investigate the threats.
Detectives with the Washington County Sheriff's Office determined that both calls came from the same prepaid cellphone, which was purchased in Baltimore.
Surveillance footage from the store where the phone was bought, along with a photo, helped authorities identify Gardner as the suspect.
Gardner was taken to the Washington County Detention Center pending an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner.
He faces charges including two counts of false statement — destructive device, two counts of arson threat, threats of mass violence, harm/threat of damage to office of court, and intimidation/influence.
"The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal take threats against the judicial system and public safety with the utmost seriousness," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. "Any threat of violence directed toward court personnel, judicial officers, or the community will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted."
