Colorado Man Charged for Allegedly Threatening to Bomb Centralia Police Department

A Colorado man is being held without bail at the Lewis County Jail for allegedly threatening to bomb the Centralia Police Department on Feb. 15.

Tony James Mattingly, 47, of Grand Junction, Colorado, allegedly called 911 “upset because nothing was done regarding his vehicle theft he reported,” according to Lewis County Superior Court documents.

Mattingly allegedly told a dispatcher that he would “kill nine police officers because it had been nine months since his vehicle was stolen,” and subsequently demanded $100,000 and threatened to bomb the Centralia Police Department.

Mattingly allegedly left four voicemails for the Centralia police records department and in one of the messages, left on Feb. 14, Mattingly allegedly stated that he was going to bomb the police station on West Maple Street at 6 a.m. on Feb. 15.

On Feb. 15, Mattingly allegedly left another voicemail saying there was going to be a U-Haul truck leaking propane “that’s going to blow your f—ing police station up.”

Mattingly allegedly called 911 again on Feb. 15 and named a police officer who had supposedly called him and then told the dispatcher to tell the officer “his family is f—ing dead.”

Mattingly was booked into the Lewis County Jail just before 4 p.m. on Feb. 17 and has been charged with three counts of threats to bomb or injure property, three counts of harassment of a criminal justice participant performing official duties and one count of intimidating a public servant. The most serious charges, threatening to bomb and intimidating a public servant, each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine.

During his preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Feb. 18, defense attorney Rachael Tiller said that while she was able to communicate effectively with Mattingly regarding the charges against him, she had concerns about Mattingly’s competency.

Judge Joely A. O’Rourke appointed an attorney to represent Mattingly and pushed Mattingly’s preliminary hearing to Feb. 25, in order to give his new attorney time to review the case and consider filing for a competency review, and approved a no-bail hold in the meantime.