Florida Officer May Avoid Trial in Hard Rock Casino Bomb Case

Posted on: January 16, 2026, 10:47h. 

Last updated on: January 16, 2026, 11:14h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • St. Petersburg officer entered diversion program that could erase felony charges
  • Case tied to Hard Rock Casino explosives investigation now closed
  • Prosecutors say officer shared sensitive police database information with suspect

Charges against a St. Petersburg, Fla., police officer accused of improperly sharing information from police databases with a man who planted explosives in the Hard Rock Casino Tampa could be dropped, The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hard Rock Casino Tampa, Brandon Klaiber, pretrial intervention Florida, police database misuse, casino bomb case
St Petersburg police officer Brandon Klaiber, left, is alleged to have shared restricted information with the late Bryan Eckley, right, who is accused of planting homemade explosive devices at the Hard Rock Tampa in September 2024. (Image: SPPD)

Brandon Klaiber, 41, was charged in April last year with two felony counts of offenses against intellectual property for allegedly providing Robert Eckley with tag vehicle numbers and driver’s license information on certain individuals at Eckley’s request. It’s unclear whether this had any connection to Eckley’s alleged attempt to bomb the Hard Rock.

Eckley placed two homemade devices in a restroom at the Hard Rock on Sept. 29 and 30, 2024, according to prosecutors. He was facing charges of making, possessing, placing, or discharging a destructive device with intent to cause harm, but has since died in circumstances his lawyer described as unclear.

Slap on the Wrist?

Meanwhile, The Times has discovered that Klaiber has been entered into Florida’s Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program, a prosecutor-run diversion scheme for nonviolent, first-time, or low-level offenders.

Instead of going to trial, the defendant agrees to supervision and conditions. If they complete the program successfully, the charges are dropped. Conditions typically include a period of supervision, during which any violation, including a new arrest, can lead to the case being reinstated for prosecution.

Risk to Public

It remains unclear what motivated Eckley to plant the explosives, which police described as “crude concealed device[s] with firework components” that were radio-controlled.

An arrest warrant said one of the devices was placed near a gas line and that both were positioned in a way that, had they detonated, would have posed a risk of serious bodily injury to anyone nearby.

Police later identified Eckley through surveillance footage and arrested him in late October. A search of his home turned up firearms, a stun gun, chemical grenades, and flashbang devices, investigators said.

An examination of Eckley’s phone revealed text message exchanges with Klaiber in which the officer provided the sensitive information.

Old Friends

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said last year that it was unclear whether Klaiber was aware of Eckley’s alleged plans at the Hard Rock.

Investigators said Klaiber first shared information with Eckley in June 2024, about three months before the incidents at the casino.

Klaiber and Eckley were friends for more than 15 years, and sharing the information was “an ongoing thing,” Holloway said.

Klaiber has been on unpaid administrative leave since Dec. 3, 2025.