Hollister police arrested a man on suspicion he made false bomb
threats March 7 to the San Benito County District Attorney’s
Office.
Hollister police arrested a man on suspicion he made false bomb threats March 7 to the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office.
Richard Poe, 59, was arrested Monday afternoon and was booked into the San Benito County Jail, according to Hollister Police Capt. Bob Brooks. The police report listed Poe as homeless, and Brooks on Tuesday said it was unclear how long the man has been living in the Hollister area.
The District Attorney’s Office received three calls Sunday on an answering machine, Brooks said. And the person leaving the messages, according to Brooks, “made some threats about blowing the place up and shooting everybody inside.”
District Attorney John Sarsfield said he became aware of the threats at about 10 a.m. Monday. Police investigators checked throughout the building but found no evidence of anything dangerous.
Poe, according to a police report, left his name on the voicemail messages – leaving police with little doubt he’s the culprit.
Police officers, who arrested Poe near Target off Airline Highway, merely checked his identification.
“We have enough reasonable suspicion to believe he’s the person who made the bomb threats,” Brooks said.
Monday afternoon, Poe was a passenger on a county bus before the driver – who felt uneasy toward Poe’s behavior – pulled over, dropped him off and called police, according to Brooks.
Police don’t suspect Poe to be mentally disturbed, Brooks said.
Sarsfield said he expected to receive the report by this morning. He expects he will refer the case to the Attorney General’s Office, he said, because the District Attorney’s Office is “an alleged victim.”
