Latest news with #TextMe
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur man charged with making bomb threats against Maine airport
May 23—A Decatur man faces federal charges after he allegedly sent text messages to employees at Bangor International Airport in Maine saying he was going to detonate a bomb there, according to an affidavit filed last week by an FBI agent and unsealed Wednesday. Robert Tyler Wicks is charged with knowingly conveying false and misleading information involving an explosive device. According to the affidavit by Special Agent Alexander White, two American Airlines employees who were working at Bangor International Airport received text messages on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. "The messages indicated that the sender knew personal details of the AA employees, had infected their phones with viruses, and the sender had 'guns and s***' ready with plans to 'definitely do a bomb' at the airport," the affidavit said. The sender said the incident would happen the following morning at 10:50 a.m. Security at the airport initiated an Emergency Operations Center where they enlisted the help of multiple agencies to help them identify the source of the threats, according to the affidavit. Investigators believed the suspect was an "insider" because of his knowledge of airport employees and the ongoing activity at the airport and they believed the suspect had security access. The airport received a second phone call at 5 a.m. the next day. "An individual called into the (Bangor International Airport) line indicating that they wanted to talk to the bomb squad," the affidavit said. "The caller said 'I have a timer on these bombs ... . I'm panicking really bad right now.'" When an FBI agent spoke with the suspect, the suspect initiated a countdown of when the bombs were allegedly going to detonate, according to the affidavit. The suspect went on to say that they wanted to surrender and told investigators the bomb was located outside of the airport building and told them "I'm giving you five minutes. Hurry up." After further investigation, law enforcement determined the phone number the suspect texted from was a fake number generated through the TextMe application, which allows users to send messages and make calls using temporary, internet-based numbers. "Emergency requests served to Charter Communication resolved the IP address ... to subscriber Glyndon Wicks in Lewisburg, Tennessee," according to the FBI agent. The affidavit said while still on the phone with the FBI negotiators, the suspect appeared to place a call to the switchboard at Dulles International Airport in Virginia and said there was a bomb scheduled to detonate at that airport in 15 minutes. Investigators observed an AA employee in the Bangor International Airport who was participating in a video chat. "At approximately 8:00 a.m., investigators approached (the employee) who was in a FaceTime conversation with a contact named 'Trey Live,'" the affidavit said. "Investigators took custody of (the employee's) telephone and ended the call by placing the telephone in airplane mode." After interviewing the employee, the FBI agent discovered she was in a long-distance dating relationship with a man calling himself Trey Live — an alias for Robert Wicks — who she had met on TikTok, according to the affidavit. Investigators said "Live" had called the ticketing desk at American Airlines in Bangor International Airport on at least one occasion and tried to speak with the employee when she had hung up on him and had previously "hacked" into her bank account and stole money from her. An FBI agent contacted Glyndon Wicks, the registered owner of the phone number associated with the TextMe app, and the woman told the agent she had recently moved from Tennessee to Decatur with her son Robert Tyler Wicks. Agents with the FBI in Huntsville conducted an interview with Robert Wicks at his residence later that day and he told them he had just moved to Decatur the previous month and that his iPhone 16, iPhone 8 and Playstation had been hacked. After a second interview with FBI agents, Wicks changed his story, admitting to making the bomb threats and to attempting to call a Washington, D.C., airport to make a threat, according to the affidavit. According to call detail records, he sent more than a hundred messages to two AA employees on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14, according to the affidavit. Wicks confirmed to investigators he was using the alias Trey Live while in an online relationship with the airport employee. He told them he got contact information on the employee's coworkers during a screen sharing session. Several disruptions occurred as a result of Wicks' threats, including the delay of an American Airlines flight from Bangor International Airport to Reagan National Airport, according to the affidavit. The flight arrived five hours late, impacting a subsequent flight and costing the airline an estimated $12,189. Other expenses related to the bomb threats came to about $20,000, the affidavit said. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. Army Sgt. charged with 30 felonies for alleged online sexual relationship with 15-year-old
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. BEAVER COUNTY, Utah () — A U.S. Army Sergeant has been charged with dozens of felonies after investigators discovered his alleged relationship with a 15-year-old from Utah. Tomas Richard Shipman, 27, has been charged with 30 felonies. He is facing 20 charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, 10 charges of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, and one charge of enticing a minor. Sex offender arrested for attempting to meet child in Lehi, documents say According to the arresting statement prepared by the Beaver County Sheriff's Office, Shipman is employed as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and stationed in Washington state. Officers believe he is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and is living there at this time. Officers with the Beaver County Sheriff's Office began investigating Shipman after a 15-year-old girl confessed to her parents that she was involved in an online relationship with a 27-year-old man. Her parents turned over the teen's electronic devices to the sheriff's office to perform an investigation. One of the devices, an iPod, was given to the 15-year-old by a friend. Officers spoke with the friend, and he stated that he gave her the device to help her contact her 'boyfriend.' The friend only knew that boyfriend by the name 'Quade,' and believed that he lived in Beaver County. The friend was able to provide the sheriff's office with Shipman's cellphone number. The 15-year-old's parents found a different number in her phone records that they believed belonged to Shipman. Suspect in Riverdale homicide charged with murder, had criminal history After obtaining search warrants, investigators discovered an app called 'TextMe' on a Kindle Fire device that belonged to the 15-year-old. They discovered conversations between her and a phone number that matched the one her friend said belonged to 'Quade.' The 15-year-old told an officer that she and Shipman had been in communication since July 7, 2024. According to documents, she said that he was aware she was 15, and that they had exchanged inappropriate photos. Throughout the conversations on 'TextMe' and Snapchat, police discovered 'expressions of love and endearment' between the two. Shipman sent messages that were extremely graphic and sexual in nature to the 15-year-old girl. Sheriff's officials said that some of the most alarming discoveries were messages where Shipman was finding routes from his home in Washington to where the 15-year-old lived in Utah. Officers said he had begun exhibiting stalking-like behavior in these conversations. A proposed arrest warrant has been filed for Shipman, who is believed to be near Tacoma, Washington, at this time. Warmer temps Friday afternoon ahead of weekend storms Wasatch Mountain State Park: The crown jewel of the Wasatch Back U.S. Army Sgt. charged with 30 felonies for alleged online sexual relationship with 15-year-old National Weather Service issues first Red Flag Warning of the year in Utah SURVEY RESULTS: Utah GOP delegates asked about stripping party membership from signature-gathering candidates Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
