Florida man arrested for making terrorist threats towards Limestone Co.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office learned of a man that made threats directed at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office was traveling to Athens from Orange City, Florida, around 1 p.m. on July 3.
Michael Kinney, 50, was arrested on a warrant for making a terrorist threat.
According to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, ATF and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), assisted with the situation. A statewide warning message was issued to law enforcement across the state.
According to the Facebook post from Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, Kinney drove 10 hours to Athens.
Click here to see the full update from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.
When Kinney lived in Limestone County in 2015, deputies say a few people called them with concerns about his well-being.
According to the Facebook post, troopers with ALEA spotted the vehicle Kinney was driving on I-65 in Morgan County. Multiple local law enforcement agencies assisted ALEA in stopping Kinney. At that time, traffic was held up for approximately 90 minutes while ATF bomb technicians determined the vehicle was safe.
Limestone County Sheriff, Joshua McLaughlin, says that a few weeks ago they received a tip about a post made by Kinney. The Facebook post is a yellow sign that says explosives on it with the caption, “I figure I can move these items safely so while I’m in HSV I’ll go to the range and deliver gifts to Limestone County Sheriff’s Office front door. Gotta keep out of DOT warpath.” According to Sheriff McLaughlin, Kinney served in the military for 18 years. where he got experience working with bombs as an E.O.D. Technician.
McLaughlin says they were keeping an eye on Kinney and Sunday they got a tip from Orange City Police that they believed Kinney was heading to the Huntsville area.
A few hours later, Kinney posted a photo of a “Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama” sign. He captioned that post, “Hi kids, I’m back!!! Let’s play your games again. LoL”
A heavy police presence due to a bomb threat shut down portions of I-65 northbound and southbound.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect that made threats involving explosives is in custody.
After the suspect was in custody, the bomb squad checked the area before allowing people to travel again.
In total the shutdown lasted about 90 minutes Sunday night, portions of I-65 were blocked in both directions just south of the Tennessee River Bridge. Bomb Squad, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Morgan and Limestone County Sheriff Deputies, Priceville and Decatur Police Departments were on the scene investigating a serious threat.
McLaughlin said Kinney’s bond has been set at $250,000.
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