An Ohio man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly threatened to “blow up” a West Des Moines insurance company’s office building.
Christopher Marsh Webb, 57, of 464 E. Oakland Ave., Columbus, Ohio, was charged with threat of terrorism.
The incident began about 2 p.m. Saturday outside an office building in the 6000 block of Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report from another law enforcement agency that someone “intended to bomb the building,” according to court records.
The officers were informed that Webb posted a video to his Instagram account in which he talked about “how his vehicle was totaled and his insurance agency was not providing sufficient service,” according to court records.
In the video, Webb is seen standing in front of the Westown Parkway office building, and he says, “Why am I here? Am I going to blow up the insurance agency or did I just need gas?” Webb then turns the camera to show five gas can sitting on the curb, according to court records.
He ends the video by saying, “You decide.”
Webb’s “actions caused enough fear that an innocent bystander contacted police to report their concerns,” according to court records.
In an interview with law enforcement, Webb “complained that corporate America, specifically insurance companies, are the true bad guy,” but he said the video was “a scheme to garner more followers for his Instagram page,” according to court records.
Webb allegedly “admitted to knowing it was an insurance company,” according to court records, and the five gas cans seen in the video were found to contain gasoline.
Webb is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 2 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
