ODESSA, Texas — An Odessa man who was responsible for a bomb hoax at the Ector County Courthouse back in April has been sentenced to almost three and a half years in federal prison.
David Paul Finnegan, 37, plead guilty to perpetrating a hoax on June 13.
Finnegan left a suspicious device on the steps of the courthouse on April 7, 2022.
The device had a large PVC pipe containing miscellaneous objects being held together with black tape. It also had a wristwatch taped to it.
Odessa Police sent out its Explosives Ordinance Disposal team who determined the device did not contain any explosives.
Finnegan was scheduled to have hearings at the courthouse on the day the device was planted.
Following his guilty plea he was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
“Hoax threats are dangerous to first responders and to the victims because it is not always immediately clear whether it is a hoax and the motivation behind the threat,” said Jeffrey R. Downey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “Public safety is paramount, and the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners always respond to each threat. Anyone who issues a hoax threat will be held accountable. Due to the collaborative work with our local, state and federal partners, we were able to locate Mr. Finnegan and bring him to justice for the fear he instilled into the residents of Odessa .”