Mexico, MO man arrested, accused of making terrorist threat

Columbia police arrested Vincent E. Ferrell Jr. in connection to a suspicious package left near the Probation and Parole Office last month.

On July 18, multiple law enforcement officers, the fire department and medics were sent to the P&P office after a small package wrapped in duct tape was seen outside the building. People were evacuated from the building.

The package was found not to be hazardous, and the scene was stable within an hour.

Through the investigation, police identified Ferrell Jr. as the individual who put the package outside the office.

Ferrell Jr. was arrested early Wednesday morning at the Boone County Jail, where he was being held after being accused of attempting to rob a Dairy Queen.

According to online records from the Missouri Department of Corrections, Ferrell Jr. was on parole for possession of controlled substances and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and had a parole officer at the office where the suspicious package was found..

According to the probable cause statement, Ferrell Jr. told police he knew the package wasn’t dangerous and that he meant to take it with him when he left the office, but he forgot about it.

Ferrell Jr. also said he understood why someone might have thought the package was a threat.

He previously has been convicted of robbery and driving while intoxicated.