North Charleston Man Charged in Trident Tech Bomb Threat Case

UPDATE 2:38 p.m. 12/21/12: William Gregory McGrath's bond was set at $125,000 Friday afternoon at Charleston County Bond Court; $100,000 for the possession or threat to use a destructive device charge and $25,000 for the growing marijuana charge.

McGrath appeared via video at the hearing and said he needed a lawyer. McGrath told the judge he didn't understand where the "fake bomb" charge came from.

"I'm guilty of having some marijuana, but I don't know where the fake bomb charge came from," McGrath said before the bond judge told him not to admit to anything during the hearing.

When asked about his employment, McGrath responded that he has run an ecommerce business from his home for the past seven years.

ORIGINAL: It only took the Charleston County Sheriff's Office and an alphabet soup of Federal agencies three days to track down and charge a North Charleston man in connection with a Dec. 17 bomb threat at Trident Technical College.

William Gregory McGrath, 35, of 2605 Elms Plantation, North Charleston, is charged with possession of threat to use a destructive device and growing marijuana. The marijuana charge was not directly connected to the bomb threat, but came as a result of searches carried out in the investigation of a suspicious package located on the campus, according to CCSO officials.

McGrath is scheduled to appear before the Charleston County Bond Court at 2 p.m. Friday. He could face between two and 15 years in prison if convicted on the destructive device charge, according to CCSO Public Information Officer Maj. James Brady.

Trident Tech campus officials received an email about the bomb around 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 17, according to Trident Tech Public Safety Chief Larry Savidge.

"When the email came in we confirmed the specifics included in the email and we found the device right where the email said it would be," Savidge said.

The device, which contained ammonium nitrate (the same explosive compound used in the 1995 Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing), an ignition source and steel nails, was discovered inside a plastic bag located among trees and bushes in a landscaped area of the campus between a parking lot and one of the college buildings, according to Sheriff Al Cannon. 

Few people were on campus on Dec. 17 as the school had already finished classes ahead of the Christmas break, Savidge said.

In addition to CCSO and Trident Tech Public Safety, the FBI, ATF, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations and the Joint Terrorism Task Force were involved in the investigation.

Searches at two location connected to McGrath turned up materials consistent with those used in constructing the bomb, Cannon said. The searches also led to the marijuana charge.

The CCSO Metro Bomb Team used a robot and bomb technicians to render the device safe, Cannon said.

"The motive is kind of convoluted and confusing at this point," Cannon said.

He added that there is some speculation that because the email that alerted campus officials to the presence of the bomb was so specific that this may have been a dry run to gauge the response of law enforcement, however Cannon said investigators believe McGrath acted alone.

Savidge confirmed that McGrath had been a former student at Trident Tech several years ago, but no evidence has been found to indicate that McGrath had any kind of relationship with anyone currently employed or enrolled at the college.