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Tampa judge still deciding whether or not to set bond in Hard Rock explosives case

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Published  November 13, 2024 5:26pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Judge mulling bond for Hard Rock bombing suspect

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports on Brian Eckley, who was charged with setting explosive devices at the Hard Rock Casino, appearing in court on whether he will receive bond.

TAMPA, Fla. - A judge will decide by Thursday morning whether to set bond for the Tampa father accused of placing two explosive devices in the bathrooms at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in September.

Hillsborough County Circuit Judge J. Logan Murphy told the court Nov. 13 he expects to issue a decision by 9 a.m. Nov. 14, something judges are legally allowed to do.

Defendant Bryan Eckley in court on whether he will receive bond on firearm charges.

Defendant Bryan Eckley in court on whether he will receive bond on firearm charges.

Bryan Eckley, 46, has been charged with two counts of making, possessing, throwing, projecting, placing, or discharging any destructive device. Investigators said the father of two was seen on surveillance video entering and exiting the restrooms where the devices were found.

READ MORE: Suspect in Hard Rock explosives case briefly appears in court less than a week after arrest

Large sections of the casino had to be evacuated twice as authorities worked to render both devices safe. No one was injured.

Court documents describe the devices as "Remote Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (RCIED)."

Seminole Police Department Det. Timothy Crocker said, while testifying on Nov. 13, the report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, that "had there been several people near it, it had the capability to kill several people."

Defense Attorney Anthony Rickman cross examining Seminole Police Department Det. Timothy Crocker during the hearing.

Defense Attorney Anthony Rickman cross examining Seminole Police Department Det. Timothy Crocker during the hearing.

According to investigators, Eckley had been spotted acting suspiciously in the casino in the days leading up to the discovery.

No surveillance video was played in court Wednesday, because state prosecutors said IT staff wasn’t able to process the hundreds of hours of video in time for the hearing.

WATCH: Man accused of planting explosives at Hard Rock Casino

However, Eckley’s attorney, Anthony Rickman, argued there is no video evidence showing his client in possession of those devices. During Rickman’s questioning, Crocker testified that one of Eckley’s fingerprints was found on the battery inside one of the devices, but no fingerprints were reportedly found on the outside of the devices themselves.

Eckley’s home, vehicle, and Tampa business, Protex Roofing, were searched as part of the investigation. According to court documents, investigators recovered several firearms, a stun gun, chemical grenades, and flashbang devices.

Eckley is accused of committing this alleged crime at the casino just three days after he was arrested for firing a gun into the air at a family member’s front door shortly after getting into an argument with him over politics.

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