Former employee charged in Portfolio Recovery Associates bomb threat
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JACKSON, Tenn. — A man appeared Tuesday in city court on accusations of phoning in a bomb threat to his former employer. Marcell Cox is charged with false reporting in the Aug. 17 incident at Portfolio Recovery Associates in north Jackson, according to an affidavit. A man later identified as Cox called the business and said he had been fired and wanted to speak to the vice president, according to court papers. The call was recorded as are all calls to the business, the document states. Police say Cox said there was a bomb in a recently replaced air conditioner and that he had his finger on the button. Jackson police and firefighters along with EMS responded, and the facility was closed and evacuated. First responders who searched the facility did not find a bomb. Four employees reviewed the recorded call and told police the voice was that of Cox, according to the affidavit. Court papers say Cox had been terminated for making threats to assault employees and that he had worked there when the air conditioner unit was being replaced. The company released a short statement Tuesday in response to the arrest. “I think it’s an unfortunate situation,” Vice President of Operations Angie Counce states in the release. “I’d rather people take advantage of the opportunities PRA provides the community.” The judge set Cox’s bond at $15,000.
