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American student calls in bomb threat after dropping out so her 'parents wouldn't find out'

Danielle Shea received thousands of dollars from her parents to continue her education after dropping out of university

Maria Tadeo
Tuesday 20 May 2014 10:21 BST
Danielle Shea, 22 was arrested after calling in two bomb threats
Danielle Shea, 22 was arrested after calling in two bomb threats

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A Massachusetts dropout student was arrested after allegedly calling in two bomb threats to force her graduation ceremony to be cancelled on Sunday.

Danielle Shea, 22, reportedly told authorities she had dropped out of university, but kept receiving thousands of dollars in tuition fees money from her mother, who believed she was still attending classes.

Police say the former Quinnipiac University student panicked when her relatives did see not her name on the graduation roster and made two calls to the university's public safety department in a bid to force the ceremony to be cancelled.

In her first phone call, just 20 minutes before the start of the ceremony, she claimed there was a "bomb in the library", according to police. In the second call, she insisted there were "several bombs" on campus and warned: "You haven't cleared out graduation. That's not a good idea".

Police were able to track the call and identify the number.

Ms Shea, who has no criminal history, was wearing a cap and a gown when she was arrested on campus and taken to Hamden Police Headquarters. She has been charged with first degree threatening and falsely reporting an incident.

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