Fearing her family's reaction about her secret life as a college drop-out—and not a college graduate—a woman allegedly called two bomb threats to Quinnipiac University in an effort to cancel the commencement ceremonies. But the brilliant plan backfired after police traced the call to her cellphone.
Danielle Shea
Police say that Danielle Shea, 22, made a first call at 5:38 p.m. yesterday (graduation for the College of Arts and Sciences was to start at 6 p.m.), saying, "Bomb in the library." Then, at 5:55 p.m., she allegedly called as police searched the library, "Several bombs are on campus. You haven't cleared out graduation. That's not a good idea."
Cops found Shea inside the school's arena—wearing a cap and gown. The Hartford Courant reports, "When graduation day arrived, Shea, who had purchased a cap and gown, panicked when her relatives did not see her name on the graduation roster, police said... Shea told detectives that her mother had paid her thousands of dollars this year, money she thought was for her daughter's education at Quinnipiac. School records show that Shea was not a student there this year." Tuition, not including room and board, is about $40,000.
The ceremony was delayed for about 90 minutes. Shea was charged with threatening in the first degree and falsely reporting an incident. She's being held on $20,000 bail, or about a semester's worth of tuition.
