ST. GEORGE — A man who twice threatened to blow up the Cedar City Hospital, as well as the Iron County Correctional Facility, has been taken into custody for making such threats yet, again – this time, against the White House.
While allegedly threatening outgoing President Barack Obama and the White House isn’t something new for 24-year-old Hurricane resident David Grant Torrey, this time, he was a little more direct about it.
Torrey was taken into custody Monday following a probation officer learning he had posted threats toward the president and his family and the White House and staff members on the White House’s Instagam page, according to a probable cause statement.
“Mr. Torrey stated he would ‘detonate a bomb strapped to my chest,’” the statement read in part. Other parts of the online statement read: “Is a big enough bomb to kill everyone there right now YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED,” followed by, “You have TWO minutes!”
Torrey was placed on a probationary hold and charged with a second-degree felony for making a terrorist threat involving a weapon of mass destruction.
Bail for Torrey’s release pending trial was set at $10,000.
Previous incidents
Torrey had been on probation for cases involving prior bomb threats.
The most recent record of Torrey making threats was June 2016.
At the time, Torrey had given staff at Cedar City Hospital a note declaring he planned to blow up the facility. He also threatened to “kill the governor, kill the president and then flee the county and join ISIS,” Cedar City Police Sgt. Jimmy Roden said.
Torrey was ultimately charged with a third-degree felony of an attempted threat of terrorism. He pleaded guilty to the charge June 21.
The first time Torrey threatened to blow up Cedar City Hospital, then called Valley View Medical Canter, was Feb. 10, 2015.
During the February incident, Torrey was at the hospital and told staff he was suicidal and causing a commotion, according to court records. Torrey had admitted himself to the hospital for some help and had ended up shouting profanities and hitting himself in the head and trying to choke himself with a sheet.
Responding officers were able to interview Torrey, who told them he would return to the hospital with bombs.
He pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony count of an attempted threat of terrorism in this case, as well.
Additional charges from the February incident were filed in May 2015 and were connected to when Torrey was incarcerated at the Iron County Correctional Facility.
While at the jail, a search of his cell produced a note on which Torrey wrote he would bomb the jail when released. The next day, he handed a deputy a note detailing a plan to bomb government buildings, including the Capitol and White House.
“He also stated that he was planning to kill the president of the United States and his family as well as anyone who gets in his way,” court records state.
Torrey pleaded guilty to charges stemming from this incident, as well. He was subsequently sentenced to 24 months of supervised probation.
According to court records, Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett told the court he believed Torrey to be competent enough to go though the court hearings, yet also said he believed the man had mental health issues. Torrey’s case was sent to mental health court in July 2015, though he was ultimately found not to be suited for it.
Torrey was previously arrested in Hurricane on April 17, 2014, following an incident in which he made threats against his parents and stated he wanted to kill the president, according to court records. After the arrest, Torrey underwent a medical evaluation and two different doctors found him mentally competent to face charges.
He pleaded guilty to charges stemming from this case as well.
As of Tuesday night, Torrey was in custody at the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s bookings page.
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I’m appalled at how the criminal justice system is handling this man. Has he even had a psychiatric evaluation? He is psychotic, he is NOT a mentally healthy person. He needs inpatient treatment with medications at a psychiatric hospital, not put in jail. My gosh, I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere.
Jeannette I’m sorry to say but , get use to it. Weird tho you’ve never heard of how some mentally ill people get handled. I agree with you it is very appalling how the system is handling this case. But I’m sure the thought when he was 17 was “He just a teenage boy!” He doesn’t really mean that he was just expressing himself. Funny how they express themselves and then they go to jail for a few months talk to other like minded people so they dont learn its not ok to make threats and still make, but continue to make threats as they walk out the door and still be allowed to walk free. In the meantime thank god nothing happened and now maybe they will actually do something with this young man, Yes like medicate him.
I feel for the family and not knowing what to do or how to handle it, but in actuality they did their part, and letting someone know. It was them as the system that failed once again!!!
He’s a loon. Does it take convicting him of felonies to get him on some heavy-duty meds? Maybe it does.