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Former Quinnipiac University Student Calls in Bomb Threat Ahead of Graduation to Conceal Her Dropout

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Former Quinnipiac University student Danielle Shea called in two bomb threats in an attempt to cancel the school's graduation to hide her dropout from her parents.

According to the Hartford Courant, police traced the bomb threats to Shea's cell phone and she was arrested in her cap and gown. However, Shea was not graduating and authorities said the threats were meant to hide that from her parents.

Judge Philip A. Scarpellino set Shea's bail at $10,000 and she is charged with making phone bomb threats. Records obtained by the Hamden police indicate Shea was not a student at Quinnipiac for the spring semester although she accepted money from her family for tuition.

Shea's public defender requested no bail on the promise the plaintiff would appear at all her court appearance, but Scarpellino was not confident she would do so.

After Shea's first threat, Quinnipiac moved the College of Arts and Sciences ceremony to the TD Bank Sports Center, where police found and arrested Shea.

At 5:45 p.m., the Courant reported, police received a call and a female voice stated "there is a bomb in the library." Just 15 minutes before the ceremony, police were searching the library when another bomb threat came in 17 minutes later. "Several bombs are on campus. You haven't cleared out graduation. That's not a good idea," the woman, later identified as Shea, told police.

With about 5,000 people waiting on the school's quad for the 388 graduates, Quinnipiac decided to move the ceremony to the TD Bank Sports Center. Police found no bombs anywhere on campus and did not say how they found Shea in the arena, but she had no weapons or explosives on her person.

Records show Shea was a student at Quinnipiac in 2012 and even made the dean's list, meaning she maintained a GPA at least 3.5 and had no grade lower than a C. Shea purchased a cap and gown even though she was not graduating and several of her relatives were in attendance for the ceremony.

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