A man accused of falsely claiming he had a pipe bomb in his vehicle appeared before a Wake County judge Thursday and insisted the allegations made against him are a misunderstanding.
33-year-old Christopher Carnes is charged with two counts of perpetrating a hoax at a public building after investigators say he went to a Raleigh Police Department substation on Wednesday and told officers there was a pipe bomb inside his car.
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Police searched the vehicle and found no explosive device or hazardous materials, then determined there was no threat to the public.
Carnes made a virtual court appearance that lasted only a few minutes. During the hearing, he was muted for most of the proceedings after repeatedly interrupting the court.
When given an opportunity to speak, Carnes denied wrongdoing.
"This is not fair. I only did what everybody else did. I even said, 'entertainment purposes.' When I talked to the Secret Service, they will tell you his car said entertainment purposes. All of this was entertainment purposes," said Carnes.
Prosecutors argued that Carnes has a history of making threats, a claim he strongly disputed.
"You can call the Secret Service in DC, they will tell you he said that everything he is doing is for entertainment purposes. Show it! Show it!" said Carnes.
In addition to the Wake County charges, Carnes is being held on a federal detainer related to alleged threats made against President Trump.
A judge set Carnes' bond at $250,000.
The case remains under investigation.
