The cell phone used to call in two bomb threats at Ansonia schools in January was also used to make 10 phones calls to the Ansonia Police Department between Nov. 21 and Dec. 6.
That’s according to an arrest warrant for Robert Drewelus, 48, who is accused of making the bomb threats at Mead and Prendergast schools on Jan. 6.
Police traced the cell phone used to make the threats and used its own dispatch recordings to zero in on Drewelus, according to the warrant.
The warrant details the investigation, and some of the bizarre phone calls made from the cell phone, but doesn’t shed any more light onto a possible motive for the bomb threats, which emptied the two elementary schools on a freezing afternoo.
The threats were found to be false. Drewelus was charged on Feb. 16 with two counts of first degree threatening, two counts of first-degree falsely reporting an incident and risk of injury to a minor.
Drewelus was arraigned at Superior Court in Derby Monday afternoon. His case was continued until April 13. Drewelus entered a not-guilty plea, and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Drewelus’ attorney, William Hickey, said it’s “still to be determined” if Drewelus’ cell phone was used to make the threats.
“That’s what they’re claiming,” Hickey said. “He’s (Drewelus) insisting he did not make those calls.”
The Trace
Here’s how police tracked down Drewelus, according to the warrant:
Police traced the phone number that made both bomb threat phone calls, and determined it was a pay-as-you-go cell phone sold at the Naugatuck Wal-Mart. The phone — along with phone cards and a pair of black, size XXL Starter sweatpants — was purchased with cash on Nov. 20.
The store no longer had surveillance footage from the transaction. So police began tracking down the people called from the phone.
They included the Ansonia Police Department, the state Department of Labor Unemployment Division, state and federal agency complaint departments, businesses, local homes and cell phones. One of the businesses called was the former employer of Drewelus’ sister, the warrant states.
Of the 10 phone calls made to the Ansonia Police Department, five were made directly to the detective division, and five were made to dispatch. The dispatch phone calls were recorded, the warrant said.
Two of the recorded calls dealt with unsubstantiated complaints against Drewelus’ neighbor. Police interviewed the neighbor, who identified Drewelus’ voice from the recordings.
Ansonia police got a search warrant for Drewelus’ Ansonia home, and found the cell phone in question in his dresser drawer. Drewelus denied making any threatening calls.
