Men Accused Of Threatening Pokemon Championships In Boston Held On Bail

Two Iowa men charged with threatening violence at a Pokemon competition in Boston were ordered held Tuesday on $150,000 bail.

Kevin Norton, 18, of Ames, and James Stumbo, 27, of Boone, pleaded not guilty to weapons charges during their arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court.

Prosecutors say the men made threats on social media against the Pokemon World Championships in August and had a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle and nearly 300 rounds of ammunition in their car when they tried to register for the event at the Hynes Convention Center. Neither man is licensed to carry a firearm in Massachusetts or Iowa.

In one of the postings, Stumbo shared a photo of a car with two long guns crossed over the trunk. "Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!" the posting said.

Lawyers for both men have said their comments were idle Internet chatter and they had no plans to commit any violence.

The men have been held since their arrests. They are scheduled to return to court Nov. 19.

Pokemon, created in Japan, is a popular role-playing game encompassing cards, video games and TV cartoons.