KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Middle Tennessee man is facing charges after he allegedly threatened to blow up the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center while seeking care for his pet spider monkey last month, court records state.
According to a general sessions docket, Joseph McDorman, 37, of Portland, has been charged with harassment and recklessly threatening an act of mass violence on a school property or activity in connection to an incident that happened on Thursday, August 7.
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In the docket, an officer reported that around 5 a.m. that morning, they responded to the veterinary hospital to stand by after the hospital received a threatening call.
The record stated that a manager told officers that the service they use to answer after hours calls received a call from McDorman seeking immediate care for his pet spider monkey. However, when McDorman was told the hospital does not open until 7:30 a.m., he is accused of saying that the hospital was a “fake [redacted] emergency place” and that if his monkey died, he would “blow the whole [redacted] building up” and burn it down.
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A client services manager called McDorman back and informed him that his spider monkey would not be seen because of the threat, the docket stated. Law enforcement received a recording of the conversation, according to court records…