Connecticut State Police charged a Rhode Island man this week after he allegedly left a hoax IED in a bathroom at the Mansfield Drive-In this summer. 

A Rhode Island man was arrested this week for allegedly leaving a hoax improvised explosive device inside a bathroom at the Mansfield Drive-In Theatre and Marketplace this summer, according to state police.

Matthew Farley, 36, of Harrisville, R.I. was charged with criminal attempt at the manufacturing of bombs and first-degree breach of peace. He is being held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Rockville on Tuesday, police said.

Farley's charges stem from an incident on June 12. A woman called state police around 2 p.m. after a customer found a suspicious package inside the men’s restroom at the Mansfield Drive-In on Stafford Road, according to Farley’s arrest warrant.

Troopers found the package behind a toilet, described as a red and white Altoids tin with a red flashing light in the center. The tin was on top of a cardboard box that had a bomb drawn on and the words “flammable,” “5/6” and other things written on it, Farley’s warrant stated.

When troopers arrived, they suspected the device was "live," prompting law enforcement to evacuate the building and property while the Emergency Services Unit Bomb Squad, Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene, according to state police.

Law enforcement saw wires, a clothes pin and a battery inside the Altoids container, which “is a known practice used during the making of explosive devices,” according to Farley’s warrant. The bomb squad later rendered the device safe, police said.

Detectives investigated the area more after and found a shell casing and bullet close to the Altoids tin and a piece of PVC tubing that was used as the bottom part of the device, according to the warrant. Detectives also discovered multiple pieces of wiring and broken pieces of PVC tubing scattered throughout the bathroom as a result of the device being rendered safe, according to the warrant.

Law enforcement looked at the security footage just outside the men’s bathroom for the day of the incident, which showed a man, later identified as Farley, carrying a backpack, and entering the bathroom at 12:50 p.m., according to the warrant. He left the bathroom two minutes later and returned at 12:58 p.m. before he left the bathroom for a final time at 1:01 p.m., the warrant said.

Police saw the car the man drove to the drive-in that day in the security footage, which led to his identity, according to Farley’s warrant.

Phone records for Farley's phone showed his phone used a cell tower about a mile away from the drive-in theater at 12:56 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. on June 12, according to the warrant.

Detectives also found multiple, partially damaged counterfeit $10 bills from the suspicious package near the toilet paper next to the toilet, police said. The counterfeit bills had a picture of a woman with a mask covering her eyes and words written on them, the warrant said.

“Worship your only goddess and join the Scarlett Nation,” part of the the writing said, according to the warrant. Police said the bill mentions sex and drugs and was apparently a $10 voucher for a “session.” The writing directed readers to go to a Twitter profile, according to Farley’s warrant.

Police later contacted the woman connected to the Twitter profile. She said she did not create the currency and only does her advertising through her Twitter page, however a man, later identified as Farley, had sent her fake currency containing her face in the past, the warrant said.

She had previously worked with Farley, but said she became uncomfortable after he sent her unwanted gifts and “pages and pages of typed-out messages that often times didn’t make any sense,” according to the warrant.

More than a month after the incident, an employee at the drive-in called police and said they received a suspicious letter in the mail. Inside a red envelop postmarked from Boston, Mass., the employee found a letter, which mentioned he wanted to go to the drive-in's flea market on June 12, along with a smaller envelope addressed to the woman on the counterfeit bill containing a dollar bill and two camera memory cards, the warrant said.

Police said they met up with the woman again in August, who said she received a hand-delivered red envelope believed to be from Farley. The envelop contained “a bunch of counterfeit one hundred dollar bills, two USB drives, and some handwritten notes,” the warrant said.

One of the thumb drives had files detailing how Farley allegedly made the IED, according to the warrant. In another file, Farley tells the woman to tell state police to close the Mansfield Drive-In case, according to his warrant.

Detectives were granted a warrant for Farley’s arrest on Sept. 28. Police in Burrillville, R.I. later found and took Farley into custody on Thursday as a fugitive from justice, police said. Farley waived extradition and was taken to Connecticut State Police Troop C the next day, police said. 

Liz Hardaway may be reached at liz.hardaway@hearst.com

Liz Hardaway is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media through the Hearst Fellowship Program.

She previously worked at the San Antonio Express-News to help cover city hall and local issues. She also worked at the Sun Newspapers in Southwest Florida as a general assignment reporter covering politics, business, and health. 

Liz graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2018 with a B.A. in journalism. She enjoys cooking, reading and playing with her dachshund, Finn.