Fla. man's courthouse threats get him picked up in Pittsburgh, say police

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

The Pittsburgh City-County Building; police say it was one of several buildings threatened by a man from Florida.

/ CBS Pittsburgh

(CBS) PITTSBURGH - A man from Florida with a civil case pending in a Pennsylvania court has been arrested for making terroristic threats against buildings in Allegheny County, including the courthouse, CBS Pittsburgh reported.

Dave Candle, 48, was taken into custody Monday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Airport after his plane landed.

Court documents reveal that Candle, of Navarra, Fla. has had previous run-ins with Pittsburgh area police.

Police say a threat he made over the internet Friday is what led to his arrest.

"Candle sent an e-mail to a lawyer in Pittsburgh after he was involved in a civil suit," says Lieutenant Jack Kearney. "...he made a threat to the lawyer saying that he'd light the court up like a viet cong landing zone," Kearney told CBS Pittsburgh.

After the e-mail threat was received last Friday, bomb sniffing dogs were brought in to go through several buildings, including the Allegheny County courthouse, courtrooms in the city-county building, and offices in the Frick building. No explosives were found.

Candle is accused of making terroristic threats, harassment, and obstructing the administration of justice, the station reported.

Candle was scheduled to appear in the courtroom of Common Pleas court Judge R. Stanton Wettick later this week. Wetticik recently fined him for lying to the court.

Sources say Candle told a Pittsburgh detective and the Assistant District Attorney that he had evidence that fraud had been perpetrated on the court.

After his arrest Monday, Candle was turned over to the Allegheny County sheriff's department.

Investigators continue to look into his connection to Pittsburgh.

"He has an ID or Driver's License with an address registered in O'hara Township," Lieutenant Kearney says. "He claimed he lived in Pennsylvania until a couple of years ago, now, he says he's a resident of Florida.

In the past, Candle faced charges including loitering, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, and trespassing. All of the charges were filed in Pennsylvania.

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