Bomb Threat at Church Leads to Arrest

BRADENTON, FL — A Monday morning bomb scare at a Bradenton church ended in the arrest of a 37-year-old man.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Ethan Cole walked into St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, 11315 Palmbrush Trail, just before noon on Nov. 14. Once inside, deputies say Cole told people “if he did not talk to the father of the church, a bomb would go off at 6 p.m. today,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies were called out and the area was searched for a bomb, the email said. No explosives were found.

Cole now faces charges for making a bomb threat.

No further information is available at this time.

Booking photo courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office