Laurel, Del. - Troopers say they arrested 20-year-old Brandon Thompson, of Delmar, after he allegedly threatened to blow up and stab his friends.
Delaware State Police say the incident happened the night of Sept. 25, at the Royal Farms at 30983 Sussex Highway, in Laurel.
Troopers say through their investigation, they learned that Thompson was at the Royal Farms with a group of friends. At that time, troopers say a Royal Farms employee overheard Thompson threatening to blow himself and a woman in the group up, before leaving. Authorities later identified the woman as Thompson's girlfriend, and say Thompson made several additional threats after leaving Royal Farms to blow up and stab his group of friends if they came looking for him.
Thompson reportedly returned to the store hours later and began pacing out front with a suspicious object in his pocket. Troopers say store employees contacted authorities around 1 a.m., Sept. 26, concerned for their safety.
Officers from the Laurel Police Department say they located Thompson at a business across the street from the Royal Farms. He was taken into custody without incident. Troopers searched Thompson and recovered a grenade and knife in his pockets. Members of the Delaware State Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team responded to the scene and secured the grenade. The grenade was discovered to be a training grenade that had been modified, similar to a pipe bomb, according to state police.
Thompson was taken to Troop 5, where he was charged with the following crimes:
- Possession of a Destructive Weapon (Felony)
- Terroristic Threatening – 3 counts
- Disorderly Conduct
Thompson was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $9,100 cash bond.
