Police: Man drove from Alabama, called 911 on himself for pipe bomb threat at Cobb shopping center

Police say a man who had a suspected pipe bomb drove from Alabama to call in the threat at a busy Marietta shopping center.

On Monday, Marietta police identified the suspect as Robert Devlin, 37 of Lincoln, Alabama.

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Around 8:15 a.m. Saturday, police received a 911 call about a bomb in the back of a pickup truck parked near the East Gate shopping plaza at Lower Roswell Road and Hwy. 120.

Officers identified Devlin as the truck owner and learned he was the 911 caller. Police determined that the threat was serious, took Devlin into custody and evacuated the shopping center.

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Police removed a device that looked like a pipe bomb. Cobb County police bomb technicians opened the suspected pipe bomb hours later.

“While it did contain some explosive elements, it lacked other components necessary for it to be considered a fully assembled explosive device,” police said.

It is unclear why Devlin traveled over 115 miles to Marietta or why he called 911 on himself. He faces felony charge of false public alarm and misdemeanor charges of false report of a crime and having a hoax device.

Anyone with information is urged to contact MPD Detective Bollinger at 770-794-5345.

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