‘Aloha snackbar,’ was emailed to sheriff. Now an SC man’s in jail. Here’s why
A Midlands man is in jail after he sent a threatening email to the Lexington County sheriff, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
On Feb. 3, 44-year-old Lexington resident Erik Joseph McBride was charged with manufacture, possession, use, aid or counsel of a bomb/hoax device or replica, in addition to threatening the life or family of a public official, as well as unlawful communication, SLED said Wednesday in a news release.
McBride used his personal email account on Feb. 2 to send a message to Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon that “threatened to cause damage, injury, and/or death by means of a destructive device,” according to an arrest warrant. The email also threatened the “life, person or family of a public official or public employee ... directly related to the victim’s professional responsibilities,” the arrest warrant said.
SLED’s bomb squad confirmed that the email included “a viable formula for an improvised explosive device,” the arrest warrant shows.
McBride’s email also included the phrase “Aloha Snackbar,” which is generally used for terroristic threats, the arrest warrant said.
The motive for sending the email was not available.
The sheriff’s department requested SLED to lead the investigation, according to the release.
McBride was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center, then transferred to the Newberry County Detention Center, SLED said.
No bond was set and McBride remains behind bars, jail records show.
McBride will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, according to the release.
This is not the first time McBride has been arrested.
In November 2015, McBride pleaded guilty to a breach of peace (aggravated in nature) charge in addition to two counts of harassment, and he served 482 days behind bars, Lexington County court records show.
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