A fight over a disconnected water account at Wellington Town Hall ended with a 50-year-old Royal Palm Beach woman under arrest after deputies say she threatened to blow up the building. Tamar Janel King now faces a felony charge of threatening to discharge a destructive device.
What happened
On July 14, deputies were called to Wellington Town Hall after staff reported a bomb threat made during an argument at the utility counter over reconnection fees. The building is located at 12300 Forest Hill Blvd. Surveillance video and witness accounts cited by investigators reportedly show King walking in shortly after 8:10 a.m. and leaving about 10 minutes later, and deputies say she was later identified in a photo lineup and arrested that same day, according to CBS12.
Employees told deputies the confrontation escalated when King grabbed paperwork from a staff member, pointed her finger and used profanity. One worker reported hearing her shout, "I'm gonna blow this motherf***** up" as she walked away. In a post-Miranda interview, King admitted using profanity and told investigators, "Well, I didn't mean it," adding that she did not have a weapon or the means to carry out any threat, according to CBS12.
Charges and penalties
King is charged under Florida Statute 790.162, which makes it illegal to threaten to throw, place, project or discharge a destructive device. Under that law, such a threat is treated as a second-degree felony, with penalties laid out in state statute, per the Florida Senate.
Booking and next steps
Public booking records show a Tamar Janel King was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on July 14. According to those records, deputies documented probable cause for the charge, and the case is now set to proceed through the Palm Beach County court system.
Local context
In South Florida, verbal threats against government buildings and other public facilities have been treated as serious crimes in recent months, with calls and social media posts often triggering criminal investigations and arrests. Recent examples include a March arrest tied to an alleged 911 call threatening Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a May arrest linked to an Instagram threat against a courthouse, as reported by Local 10 and NBC 6.
As of now, it is not publicly clear whether formal charges have been filed in court. Case dockets and filings can be searched through the Palm Beach County Clerk's online records.
