Two held without bail in alleged threats against Pokemon event

BOSTON -- Authorities allege two men from Iowa made online threats against Pokemon competitors -- referring to the Boston Marathon bombings and the Columbine High School massacre -- and threatened gun violence at the Pokemon World Championships in Boston.

Eighteen-year-old Kevin Norton, of Ames, and 27-year-old James Stumbo, of Boone, were ordered held without bail on gun charges Monday.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said the men made threatening statements in a closed online Pokemon forum before driving 25 hours to Boston on Thursday for the championships. Both were experienced Pokemon game players invited to attend.

The moderator of the Pokemon forum notified security at the convention center where the competition was held over the weekend, and the suspects were stopped as they tried to register.

They were later released, but their car was seized after police heard that they had guns, according to CBS Boston. After executing a search warrant, officers found a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 rifle and several hundred rounds of ammunition in their car.

Norton and Stumbo were then arrested at their hotel in Saugus, north of Boston, according to the station.

Both suspects are due back in court on Sept. 1.