Bend Police arrested a homeless man Friday after he was overheard threatening to blow up a building.
The threat happened just after 12 p.m. and prompted a swift response from police who set up a perimeter, closed several roads and evacuated the Alexander Drake Building at 250 NW Franklin Ave.
The suspect, 37-year-old Mathew Henderson, walked out of the building on his own after about 15 minutes. He was arrested by police in the parking lot.
According to police, the investigation revealed that while Henderson was walking into the building he was agitated and yelling. A witness, the original caller to 911, was sitting in a vehicle nearby and overheard Henderson, who was wearing a backpack, yelling that he was going to blow up the building.
Once he was arrested, police searched his backpack and found no explosive devices or material. Police also searched the building and did not find anything suspicious.
Henderson was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and charged with first degree disorderly conduct.
Friday’s incident is the second bomb threat made in downtown Bend this week. Police are still searching for a suspect who left a suspicious package in front of the Deschutes County Courthouse on Monday morning. That threat prompted a call to the Oregon State Police bomb squad who came from Eugene to inspect the package. It was later deemed a hoax, but not before the area was shut down for most of the morning and all court activities canceled for the day.
