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Men Plead Not Guilty After Alleged Threats on Pokémon Championships

18-year-old Kevin Norton and 27-year-old James Stumbo pleaded not guilty to five firearm charges in Boston's Suffolk Superior Court on Tuesday. The court also ordered them held on US$150,000 bail. The pair have been held without bail since September 1. Their pre-trial hearing is scheduled for December 2.

Clerk-Magistrate Gardy D. Wilson remarked on the bail setting, "They can buy guns anywhere: Wal-Mart, Bass Pro Shops ... I'm not going to add a thousand conditions that are virtually unenforceable." Wilson granted the pair a bail-review hearing on November 19.

Should both men post bail, the Suffolk Superior Court has forbidden either to contact each other, and they are banned from all Pokémon events.

The men's defense attorneys argued that the two had no intention to carry out their threats. Steven Goldwyn, who represents Stumbo, stated "There are no charges of threats, it is solely possession. [Stumbo] has no criminal record at all. There were no injuries on that day." Robert LeRoy, who represents Norton, said, "[Norton] was along for the ride. He happened to have the car." Both previously noted that the men were not carrying weapons when they tried to enter the convention center where the championships were being held. Goldwyn claimed that it was "mere speculation" that the men intended to commit real-life violence. “If they really had the true intent to do anything about it, why leave [the weapons] in the car?” he asked.

According to their attorneys, neither man has a criminal record. Their attorneys stated that the person the men allegedly targeted lives in Missouri, not Boston where the championship was held. However, Boston detective James Simpson testified that the person was attending the competition.

The men are charged of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and other firearm charges. The Boston Police Department (BPD) said in a statement that it arrested the two men after finding a 12-gauge Remington shotgun, a DPMS Model AR-15 rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and a hunting knife in the car they used to drive from Iowa to Boston. Neither Norton nor Stumbo possessed licenses for the firearms.

Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Joseph Janezic stated in court on Tuesday that Stumbo and Norton purchased the guns at a Bass Pro Shop in Altoona, Iowa on July 29 and 30. Janezic further stated that a search warrant executed by Boston police and federal authorities at the home of Stumbo's mother in Boone, Iowa yielded shell casings matching both the rifle and shotgun, and a Pokémon card "from a campfire adjacent to the premises."

A second search warrant in Stumbo and Norton's shared Ames, Iowa home yielded a shipping box for an AR-15.

The two men are not currently facing charges for making threats, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. "The investigation is ongoing," Conley said.

Prosecutors previously said that Norton was banned from an online chatroom for bullying. Norton allegedly responded, "Oh, ok, that's fine then I will just shoot him on Friday thanks" when he was denied reentry. Prosecutors also previously cited a post where Stumbo allegedly wrote "my AR-15 says you lose."

On a public Facebook page called "Mayhem Pokémon Crew," Stumbo had allegedly posted a photo of Norton's white Chevy Prizm sedan with two firearms set atop the trunk. The post said, “Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!” When a group member posted wishing the two men luck, Norton allegedly responded, “With killing the competition?”

The Pokémon Company listed Kevin Norton and James Stumbo as invitees to the Masters Division of the championships, although the company's website has since removed their names. The championships had nearly 1,000 invitees this year.

The Pokémon Company was made aware of the alleged threats and informed the security at the Hynes Convention Center, where the event was held. The convention center's security personnel then contacted the Boston Police Department. It also increased security in the event. The suspects were barred from entering the event on August 20. Boston police executed a search warrant on the suspects' vehicle on August 21, finding and recovering the weapons. The BPD then collaborated with the police in the nearby town of Saugus to arrest the two suspects at a hotel in that town.

Sources: The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald via ICv2