Southbury Man Accused Of Threatening To 'Blow Up' School In Westport: Police

WESTPORT, CT — A 29-year-old Southbury man has been charged in connection with a November incident in which he threatened to "blow up Coleytown Elementary School" in the fall, according to Westport police.

The incident began when the Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center received a text message to 911 at about 7:34 a.m. on Nov. 3, stating, “I’ll blow up Coleytown Elementary School.” The message prompted officials to delay the start of school by two hours, reroute incoming buses, and evacuate people who were already on campus at 65 Easton Road.

Explosive-detection canine units from Westport, Fairfield, and Norwalk police, along with the Stamford Police Department’s Bomb Squad, searched the school. Coleytown Middle School, located nearby, was placed under a shelter-in-place order during the sweep. Police said no explosives were found.

Investigators traced the text message to a cellphone later determined to be in the possession of Christopher Iannacone, who officers located a short distance from the school while the search was underway.

"He initially claimed that his cellular phone had somehow been 'hacked,'" wrote Westport Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso in a statement. "Further investigation, including a forensic examination of the device, interviews with the suspect and coordination with other agencies investigating similar incidents, further supported the allegation that Iannacone was responsible for sending the threatening message."

An arrest warrant was issued, and Iannacone was formally charged Wednesday while appearing at Stamford Superior Court on unrelated matters. He faces the following charges:

• Threatening in the First Degree
• Falsely Reporting an Incident in the First Degree
• Misuse of the Emergency 9-1-1 System
• Computer Crime in the Third Degree
• Computer Crime in Furtherance of Terroristic Purposes
• Breach of Peace in the Second Degree

A judge set bond at $100,000, which Iannacone was unable to post. He was arraigned on Wednesday and remanded to the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

"The Westport Police Department wishes to thank our law enforcement partners from Fairfield, Norwalk and Stamford for their assistance in investigating the initial threat," Prezioso said.