Federal Charges in Local Bomb Threat Investigation

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Noah D. Stirn, 24, formerly housed at the Blackwater Correctional Facility in Milton, Florida, was taken into federal custody today on a criminal complaint charging him with threatening communications involving explosives and mailing threatening communications to injure others. The charges were announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The criminal complaint alleges that during a one week time frame, Stirn mailed multiple letters to federal and state agencies that threatened the use of explosive devices to harm those in the local buildings. This led to the evacuation of the buildings and the deployment of officers with bomb sniffing canines.

Stirn will have his initial appearance today in federal court on the charges at 3:00 pm before United States Magistrate Judge Elizabeth M. Timothy.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pensacola Police Department, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Tallahassee Capitol Police. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html