Woman In Court Over 'Graduation Bomb Threat'

A woman accused of issuing a bomb threat ahead of a college graduation ceremony to keep her family from learning she had dropped out has appeared in court.

Danielle Shea, 22, allegedly called in the threat at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut on Sunday after her mother showed up for graduation.

Miss Shea was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Monday.

She is charged with first degree threatening and falsely reporting an incident. A judge set her bond at $10,000 (£6,000).

Police said Miss Shea dropped out of classes earlier this year but had continued to receive thousands of dollars meant for tuition from her mother.

"She was living off-campus. Her mother thought she was going to school," Hamden police Captain Ronald Smith said.

On Sunday, Miss Shea is alleged to have continued her ruse by donning a cap and gown for the ceremony, which her mother had driven from Quincy, Massachusetts, to attend.

But when her mother was denied access to a relatives-only viewing platform to take photos because her daughter was not on the list of graduates, Miss Shea stepped away and allegedly called in a bomb threat.

The threats delayed the ceremony for over an hour, and officials eventually moved it to a different location on campus.

Miss Shea was identified as the suspect after police tracked her mobile phone number. She was found inside the athletics complex where the graduation ceremony was moved.