LAWRENCE — Police say Jamiel Williams instigated last Friday's bomb scare at the Lawrence District Court so he wouldn't have to take a drug test that would land him back in jail.
But the 18-year-old former Lawrence High School student's strategy backfired after the State Police Crime Laboratory in Danvers lifted his fingerprint off the handwritten threats taped to the hoax device that kept court closed for about five hours.
Lawrence police, joined by members of the State Police Bomb Squad and Fire and Explosion Investigations Unit, arrested Williams last night in a rooming house at 200 Parker St.
Williams was being held overnight at the Lawrence Police Station and was due to be arraigned today in Lawrence District Court on charges of making a false bomb threat, disturbing the peace and placement of a hoax device.
Police arrested a second city man in connection with the crime after state police lab technicians found three of his prints
Misael Rosario, 26, of 152 Gilbert St., was not directly involved in planting the fake bomb, but knew of Williams scheme because he handled the "bomb threat" note, Police Chief John Romero said last night. So, Rosario faces the same charges as Williams.
"The fingerprints were the key to this case," Romero said.
"If State Police bomb technicians had not lifted the fingerprints off the hoax device before they exploded it, we wouldn't have known where to go," the chief said.
Courthouse maintenance workers found a medium size, tan suitcase with a cellular telephone and note on top outside the glass doors of the courthouse building about 7 a.m. Friday.
A handwritten note attached to the suitcase urged "contact the FBI, the bomb squad and all news channels." It also warned of "bombs in the bathrooms" that were disguised as "virgin mobile fones," according to Romero.
Area streets were cordoned off as a precaution, as court workers gathered in the public parking lot watching as the state police bomb squad used a robot to detonate the package.
State police obtained the arrest warrants after learning of the crime lab results yesterday.
Rosario, who was arrested at his home, admitted to knowing about Williams' plan after Williams let him read the "bomb threat" note, police said.
Williams told police last night that he acted alone in planting the device after being ordered by his probation officer to report to court Friday morning for a drug test.
"He said he knew he wasn't going to pass the drug test and did this so he wouldn't have to go back in (jail)," Romero said.
"This guy displaced hundreds of people who had business in the courthouse while tying up scores of public safety personnel - and all this to get out of a drug test that could send him back to jail," Romero said.
"Now he goes back to the same court on April Fools Day to answer for that. But this is no joke," the chief said.
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