Ohio man threatened to ‘blow up’ Key West bar after being kicked out, police say

Police: He was kicked out of Rick’s Bar twice, then went to the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon to make threats

John Paul Meadows (MCSO)

KEY WEST, Fla. – An Ohio man is facing a felony charge in South Florida after police said he made a bomb threat regarding a Key West bar he had been kicked out of twice Tuesday night.

According to the Key West Police Department, John Paul Meadows, of Macedonia, Ohio — a Cleveland suburb — was booted from Rick’s Bar, located at 202 Duval St.

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An arrest report states that the second time staff kicked Meadows out, the 55-year-old “made a big scene,” yelled at staff and refused to leave and only left after he was told police were being called.

Police said Meadows then walked over to the nearby Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, located at 4 Charles St., told the manager he was kicked out of Rick’s and repeatedly said he was going to “blow them up.”

The report states she asked Meadows to clarify if he meant to “blow them up on social media” and he said “no,” telling her he was going to “f--- them up” the following night.

Police said the Smokin’ Tuna manager then went to Rick’s to see what happened and a bartender told her that Meadows had been kicked out over a fight with his wife.

The manager returned to her bar to find Meadows — with no wife in sight — “touching and harassing” two women, leading her to kick him out of the Smokin’ Tuna, the report states.

Police said he left that bar without incident.

After confirming that staff at Rick’s Bar wished to press charges, police said they located Meadows in the 300 block of Duval Street and arrested him on a charge of threatening to discharge a destructive device.

According to jail records, Meadows was being held without bond at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West facility as of Wednesday afternoon.


About the Author
Chris Gothner headshot

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

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