BINFORD, N.D. (KFGO) – A man is facing domestic terrorism charges for allegedly threatening to poison the water supply in Binford, North Dakota.
A report from the Griggs County Sheriff’s Office says a citizen informed deputies that someone had threatened to put cyanide in the water supply. Residents were advised not to drink, cook, or bathe with the water.
The citizen told deputies that 43-year-old Matthew Bakke told them he had cyanide, and was going to put it in the water system. Bakke allegedly had said he was going to poison the water before going to court January 21 for a probation revocation hearing.
Deputies searched a farm near McHenry, N.D. where Bakke said he had stored the cyanide. Investigators found a case with around 20lbs of rodent poison inside.
Bakke was arrested January 16 for a probation violation, and is in the Stutsman County Correctional Center. He was charged with domestic terrorism Thursday.
Bakke has a long criminal history dating back to 1999 , with convictions for theft, drug possession, and various driving violations. In 2010, He was sentenced to over 4 years in federal prison for felon in possession of a weapon. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in a DUI crash that killed a woman near Binford in 2016.
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