Advertisement Man accused in marathon backpack scare 'off his meds,' doc says Kevin Edson held on $100,000 bail Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A doctor for the defense team says a 25-year-old Wakefield man was "off his meds" when he left a backpack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, triggering a security scare Tuesday night. Gallery of images | Watch reportKevin Edson, who also goes by the name Kayvon Edson, was in court Wednesday on charges including disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, disturbing a public assembly, possession or use of a hoax device and making a false bomb threat.The prosecutors said Edson, who was barefoot and wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a long black veil obscuring his face at the time of the incident, told police it was performance art and the device was not explosive."He also informed them 'I knew what I was doing,'" Assistant District Attorney Susan Terrey read from the police report. "'It was being conceived in my head. It is symbolism. Come on. The performance got the best of me.'"A doctor who evaluated Edson for the defense said he has a long history of "psychiatric disturbances" and his behavior was consistent with being "off his meds." Edson was held on $100,000 bail and sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for an evaluation. He will return to court on May 7.In a statement, Edson's family said, "he has battling mental issues for several years."His illness has caused himself and our family years of anguish that is unimaginable. His multiple mental health issues, including the diagnosis of BiPolar Disorder, are a constant battle realized by multiple hospitalizations and close psychiatric treatment," the family said. On Tuesday evening, a police officer assigned to Copley Square noticed a man walking down the street barefoot, and when the officer asked him what was in the backpack, police said the man replied "a rice cooker.""One of my officers assigned at Copley Square noticed a man walking down Boylston Street barefoot with a coat on and a knapsack, acting suspiciously. Walked up to him, asked him what was in the backpack? At that time, he stated that there was a rice cooker in the backpack," Boston Police Supt. Randy Halstead said.A second bag was also found.The bombs that exploded at the Boston marathon one year ago were made from pressure cookers.The bomb squad investigated in the area of Boylston and Exeter streets, and just before 9 p.m. officials destroyed the first bag. The second bag was destroyed about an hour later. The second bag was later determined to belong to a media outlet.Police said there was no evidence that there were explosives in the backpacks, but they were destroyed as a precaution.According to witnesses at the scene, the man who dropped the backpack was wearing a black veil and makeup on his face.Boston police urged people to avoid the area and Green Line train service was suspended at Copley during the investigation.