Also Claimed To Be FBI Agent. Neither True.
DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) –A Delray Beach is facing multiple charges after allegedly texting a bomb threat to 911 and claiming to be an FBI agent, which triggered a full law enforcement response at the South County Courthouse. Andrew O’Dell, 43, now faces two felony charges following the incident that began on September 18, 2025. He was formally arrested by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on September 26.
The series of alarming messages was sent to the Delray Beach Police Department (DBPD) 911 dispatch on the afternoon of September 18. According to the probable cause affidavit, the texts included statements like “KGB activate” and “Nuclear bomb in the south county courthouse”. The sender, later identified as O’Dell, also claimed affiliation with federal law enforcement, texting “I’m FBI” while giving incoherent reasons for the threat, including a supposed war with Russia.
DBPD dispatchers traced the phone number to Andrew O’Dell and used GPS coordinates to locate him at the Premier Wellness Center, a voluntary mental health treatment facility in Delray Beach. Staff at the center confirmed to officers that O’Dell was present and had been refusing to take his medication. A physician at the facility had already completed a form to have him involuntarily committed for evaluation under the Baker Act.
When officers made contact with O’Dell on a patio at the facility, he reportedly made a spontaneous confession. “I was just reporting that there was a bomb on the NW corner of the courthouse,” O’Dell stated before voluntarily extending his hands to be handcuffed, according to the report. He was transported for evaluation, and a sweep of the courthouse by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) found no explosive devices. O’Dell’s mother later confirmed her son’s long history of mental health issues.
Based on the investigation, authorities found probable cause to charge O’Dell with making a false report of a bomb, a second-degree felony, for knowingly misleading law enforcement. He faces an additional second-degree felony for falsely personating an officer, as he claimed to be an FBI agent during the commission of the bomb threat.
