A Canandaigua man has been arrested and charged after falsely claiming to be in possession of a bomb, prompting a large police response and temporary shelter-in-place orders.
According to the City of Canandaigua Police Department, 40-year-old Houston Fountaine was arrested on May 31, 2025, and charged with one count of Falsely Reporting an Incident.
The charge stems from an incident the night before, on May 30, around 11:00 p.m., when officers responded to North Main Street at West Gibson Street for reports of a suspicious man walking in the roadway with a briefcase and claiming he had a bomb.
Fountaine was apprehended near the scene, and the briefcase he was seen carrying was located near a nearby church. Officers from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police assisted in securing the area, and the Monroe County Bomb Squad was called in. The briefcase was ultimately deemed safe, and the area was reopened.
During the investigation, nearby residents were advised to shelter in place, and vehicle and pedestrian traffic were restricted for about two hours.
Fountaine was processed and transported to the Ontario County Jail for arraignment in CAP Court.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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