A Cape Coral man has been arrested after officials say he made false bomb threat to the company that repossessed and towed his vehicle Friday morning.

Shawn Michael Burdolski, 32, a former corrections officer with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, was charged with Making a False Report of a Bomb, a 2nd degree felony.

Cape Police had responded to a 911 call at 9:12 a.m. that reported a bomb threat at Speedy Towing at 930 SE 9th Lane. According to the business owner, who is a licensed recovery agent, he had repossessed a 2003 Chevy Silverado from Burdolski’s residence at around 4:05 a.m. At 6:42 a.m., Burdolski left a message with the owner requesting a return phone call. At 7:36 a.m., Burdolski left a second voicemail with the owner warning that there were “dangers” inside the vehicle, and it might just “blow up,” officials said. When the owner was unable to reach Burdolski after several attempts, he became fearful that the truck might contain explosives and contacted Cape Police. Officers arrived on scene, and along with the Fire Department, established a safety perimeter and advised surrounding businesses of the situation. Cape Police also contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad.

Cape police officers also attempted to make contact with Burdolski via the phone and at his Cape home but were unsuccessful. However, at 10:25 a.m., Burdolski contacted Cape Police Sgt. Keith Perrin, and Burdolski agreed to come down to the scene and open the truck. He told Sgt. Perrin that there was no explosive in the vehicle, only a tank of compressed air for his train horn.

After Burdolski arrived at the towing company, he unlocked the bed of the truck and pointed out the tank of compressed air. LCSO’s Bomb Squad then cleared the vehicle and released it to Cape Police, who in turn, released it back to Speedy Towing.

During an interview with Cape Police, Burdolski confirmed that it was he who left the voice message about the truck and the possible dangers inside that could blow up. He reportedly said he wanted to scare the towing company into calling him back quickly because he wanted to get his belongings out of the truck before someone stole them. Burdolski declined to provide a sworn statement.

Based on the evidence, Cape police arrested Burdolski and charged him with Making a False Report of a Bomb. He was booked and transported to the Lee County Jail.

Source: Cape Coral Police Department