Judge Orders Can Collector's ReArrest
Nov 05, 2024
Cardone, on Elm St. in late October. A state judge has ordered that Robert Cardone., Jr. be re-arrested — after the can collector-turned-“bomb” suspect failed to show up to his latest date in court.Cardone, 22, was scheduled to appear in Courtroom A in the state courthouse at 121 Elm St. on Monday morning for his most recent hearing in a criminal case that dates back to Aug. 31.That’s when he was arrested after he discarded three metal canisters by a city office building — prompting police to shut down nearby traffic and evacuate City Hall to investigate that action as a potential bomb threat. Cardone insisted he was just collecting cans, and meant no harm. He was nevertheless charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, and incarcerated for a month on a $25,000 bond. A group of homelessness activists subsequently helped bail him out in early October.Cardone was supposed to show up to court on Monday to hear whether or not a state judge would accept his application for a diversionary program. That program could lead to Cardone’s criminal cases being dropped. (In addition to the “bomb” threat case, Cardone also faces nearly a dozen different statutorily-sealed criminal cases stemming from various shoplifting and breaking-and-entering arrests.)On Monday morning, Cardone’s name was called in Courtroom A, but he was not present. The courtroom quickly moved on to the long list of other cases to be heard that morning. Outside the room, Attorney Abra Rice, Cardone’s public defender, said that she would wait for her client to appear. But Cardone didn’t show. “I don’t think that’s fair to the young fellow, because I know he was in his treatment place this morning, where he should have been,” Rice said. “He didn’t show and I feel really bad because I know a lot of people in the community were trying to help [him].”A spokesperson with Unhoused Activists Community Team (U‑ACT) who was in contact with Cardone on Sunday via text messaging confirmed that Cardone was “aware” of his court date on Monday. According to that spokesperson, Cardone had expressed hope that the application for the diversionary program would go through, texting: “Hopefully all goes well thank you.”“One of the staff members at Fellowship [Place] gave me a call not too long ago asking [if] I had seen him,” U‑ACT activist Roosevelt Watkins told the Independent, concerning Cardone’s failure to show up in court on Monday. Fellowship Place is a rehabilitation center for people with mental illness. Cardone frequently visited their drop-in center, and Watkins would often walk by Cardone sleeping outdoors by the center prior to his arrest. Watkins expressed regret for his rearrest. Rice confirmed that Cardone has yet to be officially arrested, though his warrant was issued Monday. She also said that the judge did not rule on Cardone’s diversionary program application.“I wish someone had helped him get to court,” she said.