Police: Man charged in New Haven City Hall bomb threat

NEW HAVEN — A New Haven man was charged with calling in a bomb threat at City Hall earlier this week , according to the New Haven Police Department.

Jeffrey Grimes, 58, was charged with first-degree threatening and seconddegree breach of peace, according to New Haven Police Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson.

Grimes was arraigned in court Friday and held on a $75,000 bond, Jacobson said in a news conference Friday afternoon.

Jacobson said Grimes’ charges may change as the court assesses his mental health.

Grimes had a long history with the Department of Corrections for several burglary and larceny charges and was recently released, Jacobson said. He was most recently charged by Trumbull Police for firstdegree larceny in February, according to court records.

Jacobson said Grimes hadn’t had any interactions with the New Haven Police Department.

City Hall, on Church Street, was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a caller left a voicemail making a bomb threat, according to officials. A city police hazardous device team swept the building and cleared the building by 6:30 p.m. that night.

Mayor Justin Elicker said the caller reported, “There’s a bomb in City Hall. It’s going to blow up.”

“We’re not going to tolerate people doing this,” Elicker said in the press conference. “It is a waste of public resources, it reduces our ability to respond to other potential threats in the city.”

He added that these bomb threats are also damaging to the mental health of those affected.

“If you call and make these bomb threats, it is illegal and we will track you down and hold you accountable,” Elicker said.