Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday emphasized the harms and legal penalties for intentionally providing law enforcement with false information after a threat prompted the evacuation of an Ingham County high school.
Students at East Lansing High School were released early as school officials responded to a bomb threat, which was determined to be a swatting call, the Lansing State Journal reported.
Swatting, the act of placing false emergency calls in an effort to dispatch law enforcement to a particular location, can carry several penalties, Nessel noted in a statement.
Potential charges include:
- False report of a crime, a misdemeanor punishable by 93 days in prison.
- False report resulting in physical injury, a felony punishable by five years in prison.
- False report resulting in a serious bodily impairment, a felony punishable by 10 years in prison.
- False report resulting in a death, a felony punishable by 15 years in prison.
Additionally, threats of violence carry their own legal ramifications, Nessel’s office noted.
Those charges include:
- Communicating a threat of terrorism, a felony punishable by 20 years in prison.
- Calling in a bomb threat, a felony punishable by four years in prison.
- Malicious use of a telecommunications device, a misdemeanor punishable by six months in prison.
In addition to time in prison, individuals charged with these crimes can face fines of up to $20,000.
“Swatting is a reckless crime that diverts law enforcement resources and leaves students and faculty fearing for their lives,” Nessel said. “Our current laws are not strong enough. The Legislature must pass stricter penalties that truly reflect the seriousness of this offense.”
Nessel’s office advised anyone with information on a threat to their community to call their local law enforcement agency or to leave a tip with the state’s OK2SAY hotline by calling 8-555-OK2SAY or texting 652729.
