January 13, 2015

Brandenburg, Kentucky Man Charged with Threatening to Blow Up a Church and Apartment Complex

OWENSBORO, KY—A Meade County, Kentucky man was charged in a two-count indictment with threatening, by way of a telephone, to damage and destroy with explosives, a church located in Brandenburg, Kentucky, and with threatening, by way of telephone, to damage and destroy with explosives, an apartment building located in Brandenburg, announced Acting United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

Shelly L. Wright, age,45 was charged on January 6, 2015, and the indictment was unsealed today following his arrest by Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Brandenburg Police Department and Kentucky State Police.

According to the indictment, on November 16, 2014, Wright, through the use of a telephone, willfully made a threat to unlawfully damage and destroy the Glad Tidings Church, located on Bypass Road in Brandenburg, by means of explosives. Further, it is alleged that on or November 26, 2014, Wright, through the use of a telephone, willfully made a threat to unlawfully damage and destroy the Riverview Apartments.

If convicted at trial, Wright would face no more than ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a three year period of supervised release. Wright is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Colin Lindsay, in Louisville, tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., for arraignment and a detention hearing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Meade County Sheriff’s Department.

The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.