CRIME

CSU police arrest bomb threat suspect at coffee shop

Cassa Niedringhaus
The Coloradoan
CSU Police stand outside the Morgan Library following a reported bomb threat on campus on Tuesday November 7, 2017.

Update May 22, 2018: The man who pleaded guilty to making a false bomb threat at Colorado State University in November 2017 was arrested after failing to attend a scheduled court appearance. 

Jonathan Copp, 31, pleaded guilty to to false report of explosives Jan. 25 and was sentenced to two years probation. The other charges were dismissed by the District Attorney, according to court records.

He was arrested May 15, 2018 after failing to show up for a scheduled court appearance.

Read more:Man who made fake bomb threat at CSU library arrested after missing court

Original: Colorado State University police arrested a man in a coffee shop near campus after they identified him as a suspect in a bomb threat at Morgan Library on Tuesday.

Police arrested 31-year-old Jonathan Copp late Tuesday at the Alleycat Coffee House, 120 W. Laurel St., on suspicion of criminal mischief, obstructing a peace officer, false report of explosives or weapons, and educational interference. 

Police said Copp entered Morgan Library on Tuesday night, approached the front desk and told staff there was a bomb on the property, according to arrest documents. Campus authorities evacuated the building and issued a campus-wide alert about the threat with a description of the suspect around 7:42 p.m.

Students streamed out of the building, and some waited nearby as the investigation unfolded, CSU junior Reed McFall told the Coloradoan.

McFall said he was studying in the library's basement when lights flashed, an alarm sounded and an automated voice announced a fire alarm. He didn't initially realize that the evacuation was related to a bomb threat. 

McFall waited in nearby Clark A and watched through the building's windows.

"I think everybody is ... curious," McFall said at the scene Tuesday. "We're all just sitting here, watching."

Police from at least three agencies — CSU Police Department, Fort Collins Police Services and Loveland Police Department — were on the scene. Police officers stationed themselves outside the library with rifles, and a team of officers with a K9 swept through the building.

CSU police issued surveillance photos of the suspect inside the library about 9 p.m. and asked for the public's help in identifying and locating him. Students were allowed to re-enter the library about 9:30 p.m.

When police found Copp at the Alleycat later Tuesday night, they said he physically resisted officers' commands to put his hands behind his back, according to arrest documents. Once police were able to handcuff him and take him into custody, they brought him to the CSU police department for an interview. While there, police said he kicked a hole in the drywall.

Arrest records indicate that police arrested Copp on Tuesday, but CSU police announced his arrest shortly before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. They also thanked the community for reporting Copp's whereabouts. 

Copp remains in custody in the Larimer County Jail, and he is scheduled for a first appearance at the Larimer County Justice Center on Nov. 16.

Fort Collins police cited Copp on Monday after he reportedly disobeyed a signal light, walked out in front of a vehicle and broke a window at the Fort Collins Rescue Mission on Jefferson Street.

Copp does not appear in CSU's directory, and CSU police confirmed that he is neither a student nor an employee of the university. Further information about the ongoing investigation into the bomb threat was not available Wednesday night.

Onlookers reported that the on-campus stadium's lights were flashing earlier Tuesday evening, but CSU police confirmed that the incident was unrelated to the threat at Morgan Library. They did not provide information about what caused the flashing lights at the stadium.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

CSU police released this image of a suspect after a reported bomb threat at the university Tuesday.