Arnold Nowicki, the 69-year-old Eastpointe man accused of leaving what looked like pipe bombs in the parking garage of the MotorCity Casino, was arraigned today in 36th District Court.
Nowicki faces up to five years in prison if convicted of eight felony charges that he used objects that represented explosives to “frighten or annoy.”
Authorities said Nowicki sparked a nearly six-hour panic at the Detroit casino when he scattered the packages in the casino’s garage on Sunday.
The first package was discovered about 5:20 p.m. Hundreds of casino-goers were forbidden to leave until authorities were able to detonate the objects, which turned out to be fakes.
Nowicki was identified by authorities based on casino surveillance video.
The court ordered that Nowicki wear a GPS tether and banned him from going to any of the city’s casinos.
A preliminary exam is set for April 30.
