A former teacher and choir singer who police said threatened to “blow up” a Presbyterian church in Fort Lauderdale has been arrested, records showed.
Melissa Ann Redway, 28, was arrested Monday on charges including writing threats to kill or do bodily injury and threatening to discharge a destructive device, Broward jail records showed.
According to an arrest report, the alleged incident happened back in February at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on N. Federal Highway.
An officer had been contacted by the executive director about an email threat they received from Redway during church services, the report said.
The threat involved a concert that was scheduled to be held at the church on Feb. 20, the report said.
“I first need to blow up the whole entire church with me at the concert…” the threat said, according to the report.
The director said Redway had been a teacher at the church’s school, Westminster Academy, but suffered a brain injury and wasn’t able to conduct her teaching duties so she was laid off, the report said.
Redway had also been part of the church choir but lost her position due to time away and changing personnel, the director said, but she “did not accept the news well and attempted to rejoin the church choir,” the report said.
The director of the church expressed concerns for the safety of congregants and students, and said Redway’s behavior had been “increasingly concerning,” the report said.
Investigators also spoke with Redway’s mother, who said she was “acting a little out of character, anxious, and stressed about the church situation,” the report said.
Redway was behind bars Tuesday on a $7,500 bond, Broward jail records showed. Attorney information wasn’t available.