Man is charged in Long Reach bomb threat

The Columbia man arrested in connection with a bomb threat Tuesday afternoon in the 8600 block of Worn Mountain Way has been charged with manufacturing a phony explosive device.

Thomas M. Harman, 39, is to stand trial in October. He was released on his own recognizance.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined $1,000.

Court documents allege that Harman constructed the device using wire, a 9-volt battery, a gallon of brake fluid and a propane tank and that he then attached the wire to the doorknob.

When the device was discovered, police evacuated nearby houses in Long Reach village for about two hours while using a robot with a video camera to determine whether the bomb was fake.

Harman told police he is involved in a dispute with the Navy Federal Credit Union, which is foreclosing on the Worn Mountain Way house.

Harman later admitted to police that the incident " was a hoax" and that he put a note at his residence "to scare people off," a court document stated.

Pub Date: 8/28/97