FORT WORTH, Texas — A 42-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on allegations he left a threatening note and a suspicious package outside a Tarrant County building in Fort Worth, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
A white Styrofoam ice chest and threatening note directed at law enforcement were left on the front porch of the Tarrant County Plaza building in the 200 block of Taylor Street in downtown Fort Worth around 7 a.m. Wednesday, deputies said. Several county offices, including the sheriff’s office, are housed in the building.
The building was immediately evacuated, and the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Bomb Squad was called to determine the contents of the chest and determined it didn’t contain an explosive device, according to a news release. The building was re-opened after the all-clear was given.
“It appeared the items and note had been left by the suspect for the purpose of causing mass alarm, according to a news release.
Deputies said a yellow Ford Focus was seen leaving the scene shortly after the package was left on the porch, and investigators identified Austin James Starkey, 42, who was known to drive a yellow Ford Focus, as the suspect.
Officials from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force arrested Starkey in Dallas on a complaint of terroristic threat Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release. Starkey is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a $200,000 bond, jail records show.
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