Police Arrest Baltimore Man in Towson Toilet Bomb Scare

A Northeast Baltimore man faces charges after placing a toilet and note in front of the Old Courthouse that caused a  on Monday.

Duane Gerald Davis, 51, of the 1400 block of Lochner Road, was charged on Monday with making a false statement of a destructive device and planting a phony explosive device. Davis is being held on $200,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 4 in Towson, according to online court records.

Davis, of the Woodbourne Heights neighborhood, left a toilet, radio and notes in front of the Old Courthouse on Monday morning, according to Lt. Rob McCullough, a police spokesman.

A maintenance worker found the items around 8 a.m., and alerted security. Police called bomb squad technicians.

Along with the toilet, police found one note written on cardboard and a petition taped to the radio. The petition urged state and local officials to push Illinois investigators to look further into the death of Davis' son, Gerrell.

Davis was arrested at his home Monday afternoon, according to McCullough.

The toilet found outside the courthouse looked similar to one spotted near Baltimore City schools headquarters on North Avenue, according to the Baltimore Brew. That toilet, like the one discovered in Towson, was covered with pictures and messages for public officials. A picture attached to it shows a sign for Davis' restaurant business.

A Facebook page for Davis contains decidedly bizarre postings, including one that appears to reference the Old Courthouse situation.

"Monday morning Madness," he wrote. "Left my Toilet at the Baltimore County Courthouse. Also left a kite of Knowledge. Secrets will not Block Justice."

A search for Davis in court records and online begins to reveal a colorful past. In December, Davis tried to sue Gov. Martin O'Malley. A state judge dismissed that suit in early January.

Davis' YouTube account has a collection of rambling videos that, among other things, accuse O'Malley, federal officials, arts organizations and others of violating his rights and practicing racism. Davis' decorated toilets make a cameo in at least one video. Davis has not posted any new videos since May 2010.

Davis' most recent criminal court appearance came in 2009, in response to charges stemming from an October 2008 incident, including attempted burglary, theft and harassment. The state's attorney's office declined to prosecute, according to court records.

When Patch attempted to reach him by phone early Monday afternoon at his Upperco barbecue restaurant, Davis declined to comment, saying he was leaving for a courthouse to renounce his American citizenship. Earlier,  he claimed no knowledge of the package but said he had decorated toilets in the past and given them to local officials and institutions like the American Visionary Art Museum.

"They're parting gifts," he told the newspaper. "A toilet ain't racist, it don't care who sits on it, it don't care who uses it."