Strabane man charged with making bomb threat at courthouse
A Strabane man is accused of leaving a bag behind at the Washington County Family Court Center Monday after telling an attorney he believed he had a bomb detonator.
The statements made by the suspect, Reed Marshall Morrow, 37, resulted in the evacuation of the building at 29 W. Cherry St., state police noted in the affidavit in the case.
Morrow, of 186 View Ave., is being held in Washington County jail without bond at the request of the district attorney’s office, online court documents show. He is charged with one felony count of making terroristic threats resulting in the evacuation of a building, having been arraigned Tuesday morning before District Judge Curtis Thompson.
He arrived at the center attached to the county courthouse carrying three bags shortly before noon. After his bags were checked, he walked to a waiting room until meeting at 2:10 p.m. with attorney Kimberly Furmanek, police stated in the affidavit.
Furmanek contacted the sheriff’s office about the bag at 3:15 p.m. and told a corporal what Morrow had told her.
She said Morrow said he found the bag in a motel and wanted to leave it with her “so that he wouldn’t lose anything else.”
The county’s chief deputy sheriff, Tony Andronas, contacted state police and requested its Hazardous Devices and Explosives Section to the courthouse. He also implemented evacuation procedures.
Leslie Ridge, a deputy district attorney in Washington County, said no bombs or materials to make bombs were found in the bag. Police said Morrow, when questioned, confessed to owning and packing the black backpack.
“Obviously, this is a serious case,” Ridge said.
She said the case closed the courthouse for the remainder of the day Monday.
She said Morrow is being held without bond because he has other cases before the court.
Furmanek is Morrow’s court-appointed attorney in cases involving possession of drug paraphernalia, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct filed earlier this year by police in North Strabane Township, court records state.