Second Suspect Charged In Malvern Institute Bomb Threat

EAST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, PA — A second suspect has been charged in the June 17 bomb threat at Malvern Institute and both men face five felony charges.

Officials evacuated staff at the drug rehabilitation center on June 17 after a message written on a board in a lounge area said the building would explode at 3 p.m. Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police officers evacuated the building and three bomb detection K-9s and their handlers from Chester County Sheriff Department inspected the facility.

Shortly after the incident, Taylor Richardson, 26, of Dillsburg, was charged with terrorism, threat to use weapons of mass destruction, and terroristic threats, five felony counts in all.

Police have reported further investigation led to charges against James Kennedy III, 31, of West Chester related to his involvement in the written message. Kennedy was charged on June 30 with two counts of conspiracy, threat to use weapons of mass destruction, and two counts of conspiracy, terroristic threats, felonies.

Preliminary hearings for Taylor Richardson and James Kennedy are scheduled today before Judge Thomas Tartaglio in Chester County District Court 15-1-02, according to a police report.

Read an earlier story here.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.