This undated photo provided by the Hamden Police Department shows Danielle Shea of Quincy, Mass. Police have arrested Shea, 22, who they say phoned in bomb threats to Quinnipiac University to try and have commencement ceremonies canceled so her family wouldn’t know she wasn’t graduating.MERIDEN, Conn. – A former student called in bomb threats to a Quinnipiac University’s commencement in Connecticut in a bid keep her family from learning that she wasn’t graduating despite taking money for her education, according to police.
Danielle Shea of Quincy, Massachusetts, was wearing a cap and gown when she was arrested Sunday inside the arena where the ceremony was taking place, Hamden police said. Police said she gave a detailed confession.
The threats delayed the start of the ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences by an hour and a half, and it was moved to a second location at the indoor athletic arena as a security precaution.
Shea, 22, was arraigned Monday in Meriden Superior Court where bond was set at $10,000. Her attorney asked for her to be released on a promise to appear but the judge said he was troubled by the defendant’s actions.
Police said Shea didn’t attend the university this year, but her mother paid thousands of dollars she thought was for her daughter’s education. When graduation arrived, Shea panicked when relatives didn’t see her name on the graduation roster and tried to have the ceremony canceled, they said.