Connecticut: bomb threats that closed courts traced to man who wanted to avoid court appearance

A series of bomb threats that closed all 45 Connecticut courthouses was phoned in by a man who said he could not get a ride to court to face motor vehicle charges, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Javier Rodriguez, 28, was arraigned Tuesday on 17 charges, including four counts of terrorism, that could send him to prison for 80 years. He was being held on $250,000 (Ђ212,170) bond.

State police evacuated all 45 state courthouses Friday while they were searched for explosives. Police traced the four threatening calls to pay phones near where Rodriguez lives and confronted him after making a list of people who were scheduled to appear in court in Danielson that day but did not show up.

Rodriguez, a food service worker at the University of Connecticut, was supposed to appear in court to face several motor vehicle charges, including driving with a suspended license, prosecutors said.

He told police he did not want to drive himself to court because his license had been suspended, although he later did drive to the courthouse to see if it had been evacuated, according to the documents, reported AP. P.T.