RI Man Arrested In Connection To Bomb Scare AT CT Drive-In

HARRISVILLE, RI — A Rhode Island man is due in court Tuesday after his extradition to Connecticut in connection to an improvised explosive device being found at a drive-in movie theater in Mansfield, Connecticut last summer.

The incident took place on June 6, during a session of the popular summertime flea market at the drive-in.

At 2:06 p.m. that day, State Police received a 911 call from a staffer at the Mansfield Drive-In who said she found a "suspicious device" inside a restroom at one of the buildings at the complex. A guest had discovered an Altoids tin on top of a cardboard box with a blinking light on top of it, according to a warrant.

After troopers arrived at the scene, the device was suspected to be "live," according to an arrest report. The state police Emergency Services Unit Bomb Squad and the Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit were called to the scene as well as the FBI, and the drive-in was evacuated, sate police said. Bomb Squad Technicians also determined it to be "a possible live device," according to an arrest report.

An investigation involving multiple state and federal agencies and the Eastern District Major Crime Squad identified the would-be bomber as 36-year-old Harrisville resident Matthew Farley. An arrest warrant was secured for Farley out of Rockville Superior Court on Sept. 28, and, on Thursday, Farley taken into custody by the Burrillville Police Department in Rhode Island as a Fugitive from Justice.

On Friday, Farley waived extradition and was transported to Troop C barracks, where he charged with criminal attempt at manufacturing of bombs and first-degree breach of peace.

Farley was held over the weekend on a $50,000 court-set bond and is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday, records show.