KENANSVILLE — A 27-year-old Duplin County man remains in jail today under a $600,000 bond some 48 hours after he is alleged to have threatened to blow up four county courthouses, including ones in Sampson and Duplin.

Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace said his investigators took Daishaun Connell Leak, of 229 Church St., Kenansville, into custody around 1 p.m. Monday, charging him with five felony counts of making false bomb reports on a public building.

Although his initial bond was set at $50,000 that amount was raised to $600,000 by Tuesday afternoon.

Wallace said because all the calls originated in Duplin County, his office was responsible for the investigation and filing all the charges.

Threats that bombs would detonate at courthouses in Sampson, Duplin, Wayne and Onslow counties were made early Monday morning to a Duplin County government office, forcing the evacuation of those facilities, some until later in the afternoon. A sweep of each building was manned by law enforcement agencies in each county to determine if there was, in fact, an explosive device in any or all of the buildings. No such devices were found.

Leak’s arrest came only a few hours after the threats were called in, and Wallace said it was solid investigative work coupled with help from the community that led to a quick resolution of the case.

“Actually we got a lot of information from the public about the possibility that our suspect might be the caller. That allowed us to obtain some cell phone records which confirmed our suspicions. We brought him in at that point and he ultimately confessed,” the sheriff said.

Leak, the sheriff said, was on the Duplin County District Court docket for a misdemeanor offense Monday. The offense was far less than those he now stands charged with committing.

In addition to the four bomb threats, the sheriff said Leak is also charged with making a call to a private individual regarding the Duplin County courthouse threat, which accounts for the fifth felony charge filed against him.

“These are very serious offenses,” Wallace said.

In addition to the crimes themselves, Wallace said untold amounts of money had been spent by each county for the evacuation, the postponement of court and the law enforcement manpower.

Editor Sherry Matthews can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 112 or by e-mail at smatthews@myclintonnc.com