Pokemon pair pinched in Saugus

The two Iowa men who allegedly made threats against this past weekend’s Pokemon World Championships were held without bail pending a Sept. 1 dangerousness hearing during their arraignment on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and unlawful possession of a large capacity rifle at Boston Municipal Court.They were arrested at the Red Roof Inn on Route 1 in Saugus on Saturday.Eighteen-year-old Kevin Norton of Ames, Iowa, and 27-year-old James Stumbo, of Boone, Iowa, reportedly traveled more than 25 hours with a 12-gauge Remington shotgun allegedly belonging to Norton, an AR-15 rifle belonging to Stumbo, a hunting knife, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in their vehicle, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.The two men made threats of violence over social media and online chat rooms before arriving at the weekend event.”Prosecutors said that, in a Facebook chat room conversation between several individuals, other individuals made reference to ?Columbine pt 2,’ ?another Boston massacre’ and ?Boston bombing,'” according to a news release sent by the Suffolk DA’s office.Stumbo allegedly referenced his rifle, saying “My AR-15 says you lose” and posted a photo of his rifle and a shotgun on the trunk of Norton’s car with the caption saying he was “on his way to Boston” and “Kevin and I are ready for Worlds Boston here we come!!!”Norton was banned from a chat room for bullying another individual and allegedly said, “Oh, OK, that’s fine then I will just shoot him on Friday thanks,” according to the release.Event security officers at Hynes Convention Center in Boston, where the Pokemon World Championships were held, took notice of the threats and stopped Stumbo from entering the location upon his arrival. Officers were notified at approximately 5 p.m.As Stumbo was being escorted off of the premises, officers noticed Norton attempting to enter the gaming convention. Stumbo allegedly told police that they had driven to Boston from Iowa in Norton’s 2002 Chevy Prizm with a shotgun and a rifle in the car.Police released Stumbo and Norton and seized the vehicle, filing a field interrogation and observation report. They obtained and executed a search warrant for the car on Friday and discovered the weapons and ammunition.They filed an arrest warrant and worked with the Saugus Police Department to locate the men at the Red Roof Inn and take them into custody on Saturday at 11:20 a.m. They were also assisted by the FBI and Homeland Security.Stumbo and Norton face charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition and a large capacity rifle. They are not being charged in connection to the threats they made online.The investigation is ongoing and Judge Lisa A. Grant ordered they be held pending a dangerousness hearing, which allows a judge to hold a an accused defendant “without bail for up to 90 days pending trial upon clear and convincing evidence that no conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community,” said the release.The Pokemon World Championships ran from Friday to Sunday.