Probable cause hearing postponed for Wareham teen charged with making terroristic threats

Nov 23, 2018

A probable cause hearing for a Wareham teen charged with making several terroristic threats has been continued to Jan. 30 as his attorney was not present to represent him in Wareham District Court on Nov. 23. 

The defendant, Domenic Albanese, 18, of 39 Onset Ave., was arrested by Wareham Police on Oct. 10 and charged with making terroristic threats in connection to calls that allegedly threatened gun violence against three fast food restaurants on Cranberry Highway

On Oct. 19, judge Edward Sharkansky ordered that Albanese be held without bail following a dangerousness hearing in Wareham District Court. Dangerousness hearings are used to determine if a defendant poses a “substantial risk” of committing a felony with force, ultimately deciding whether or not they are allowed to post bail.

A probable cause hearing will now determine if there was a valid basis for Albanese’s arrest in October, allowing authorities to keep him custody. 

Albanese pleaded “not guilty” to the charges in Wareham District Court on the day of his arrest.

According to court documents, Albanese has a history of making similar threats using his technical know-how to mask the origin of calls and emails. Incidents involving bomb scares and hacking reportedly started back in 2017, less than a year after Albanese’s own home was raided by a S.W.A.T. During the incident, police confiscated loaded weapons and arrested his mother, Lori, 57, also of 39 Onset Ave.

The most high profile case Albanese is allegedly connected to happened on July 10, 2017. On that day, officials said Albanese sent an anonymous email to Wareham school officials claiming that he was hiding in a storage room with a firearm, planning to “shoot and kill on sight.”

In response, all Wareham schools were put on lockdown. In the months that followed, court documents allege Albanese made additional threats to Wareham Schools and Bourne Middle School.

These documents also allege that Albanese has been involved with several “swatting” incidents. Swatting refers to false reports of violent crimes in progress, prompting a major show of force from police on innocent, unsuspecting people. Some cases of swatting have been fatal.

Police say they seized several pieces of technology from Albanese following these initial incidents, including laptops and cell phones which are currently being examined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Two cell phones which police suspect were used to make the threats to the fast food restaurants were seized from Albanese’s home in October. So far, investigations carried out by the Wareham Police Department have been unable to provide any direct connection to the threats received.

Albanese was previously indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on a charge of rape of a child, use of force in December of 2017. Per his pre-trial conditions, Albanese is not allowed to have access to electronics or social media.

If found guilty, Albanese may face up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory sentence of three years.