Colorado man accused of calling bomb threat at court on day he was set to be sentenced in previous case
A Colorado man has been arrested and charged in connection with a bomb threat he allegedly made last week at the Adams County Courthouse. Court records show that the day the threat was made, the man had a hearing scheduled at that courthouse to be sentenced in a previous case.
Steven Sandoval, 47, was arrested on Sunday and formally charged on Wednesday with false report of explosives, weapons, or harmful substances, a felony, and false reporting of an emergency, a misdemeanor, the Adams County District Attorney's Office said on Wednesday.
The alleged threat prompted the evacuation of the Adams County Courthouse at 1100 Judicial Center Drive in Brighton and a nearby grocery store, where investigators believe the call was made from. Both buildings were cleared in a matter of hours, and people were later allowed to return.
Court records show Sandoval had a sentencing hearing on the day the threats were made for a previous case where he pleaded guilty to identity theft. The status of that hearing date in court records reads "party failed to appear," but says he had an appearance on an arrest warrant on Monday and is set to be sentenced again on March 9.
Sandoval is being held at the Adams County Jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond. He's due back in court for the bomb threat case on March 4.
He's being represented by the Public Defender's Office in both cases.
Court records show 56 cases in Colorado for Sandoval dating back to 1996, mostly in Adams County, but also in Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Mesa, and Weld counties, including the two open cases in Adams County.
He's previously been convicted of or pleaded guilty to trespassing, unlawful use of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, DUI, attempted escape of a convicted felon, forgery of a government-issued document, and criminal impersonation.
