Bomb Threat Update: Suspect Could See Prison Time, But How Much?

A St. Paul man is being charged for making terroristic threats with explosives after he threatened to on Tuesday, July 25, according to the criminal complaint.

Matthew Allen Klemmer, 45, appeared in Washington County District Court on July 27. 

According to the criminal complaint, the Oakdale Police Department received a call from Lake Elmo Bank at 600 Inwood Avenue in Oakdale reporting a man who claimed he had placed a bomb in the bank's overnight deposit box and another bomb in a postal box on the bank's property.

At 7:51 a.m. Klemmer walked up to the bank's drive-up window holding a knife and not wearing a shirt. Klemmer told the bank employee at the window that he wanted to speak with a federal agent or both bombs would detonate in less than an hour. He also said he could detonate the bomb from a device in his pocket.

The employee told officers that she saw Klemmer open the overnight deposit box and put something inside of it before he approached the window, according to the complaint.

Want to follow crime reports in Oakdale? Sign up for Oakdale Patch's free e-newsletter.

When officers arrived Klemmer told police that they would find out what the bomb was made of "when it blew up." He later told officers that the device was a C4 bomb.

A member of the St. Paul Bomb Squad opened the overnight deposit box and found a device that looked like an iPhone and a silver lighter. An onsite x-ray confirmed the device was only a cell phone and was not linked to any explosives.

Klemmer has a previous criminal history, including domestic assault, felony theft and burglary, felony check forgery, damage to property and DWI's. 

Klemmer's next court appearance is Aug. 9. If found guilty Klemmer could spend up to three years in prison and pay $3,000 in fines. 

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our newsletter