Judge denies bond for Washington man accused of threats on transit

By John Clarke

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A man who last year appeared on an MTV reality show and is accused of threatening Washington's mass transit system and President Barack Obama in calls to emergency responders was denied release on bond on Friday by a federal judge who called his actions dangerous and harmful.

"This is not some sort of childish pranks or phony phone calls," U.S. District Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey said. "These were bomb threats and threats to harm the president of the United States."

Jerez Stone-Coleman, 20, of Washington is charged with 10 counts of falsely reporting an attack on mass transit and one count of interstate communication of a threat to kidnap or injure. If convicted, Stone-Coleman faces a possible sentence of between 10 and 20 years in prison, the judge said.

Prosecutors say Stone-Coleman, who last year appeared on the MTV show "Catfish" that explores truth and deception in online dating, made the threats in 388 calls to emergency responders between June 10, 2014 and June 10, 2015.

Harvey ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Stone-Coleman on Thursday. On Friday, Stone-Coleman's attorney presented the findings of a jail psychiatrist who determined Stone-Coleman suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder and depression.

Stone-Coleman's attorney, Jonathan Jeffress, said his client's mental health was worsened by his appearance on MTV and that his actions were simply "bizarre, one-off criminal behavior."

During the hearing, Stone-Coleman, who was wearing glasses and an orange prison jump suit, nervously tugged at his clothes, stretched in his chair and stared around the courtroom.

He has been assigned to the jail's mental health unit. The next hearing in the case has not been scheduled.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Will Dunham)