LEONARDTOWN, Md. (March 11, 2009)—Detectives today arrested David Howard Mattingly, 65, of Leonardtown, and charged him with delivering a fake destructive device in connection with an incident at the Dash In store in Leonardtown Tuesday night. Mattingly was also charged with property destruction due to his damaging of a security camera while in police custody, say police.
Detectives determined that at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night Mattingly entered the Dash In store with two packages that had threatening letters attached. He gave the items to a clerk, who placed them in the store office. On Wednesday morning the store owner was advised and police were summoned at approximately 6:40 a.m.
The Fire Marshal's bomb squad was called and determined that the packages were not explosives.
Deputies located Mattingly operating a vehicle in Leonardtown Wednesday, where he was taken into custody.
The incident was investigated by the Maryland State Fire Marshal and the St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).
The delivering a fake destructive device charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years and ten thousand dollars.