Bomb threats come with price tag for city of Jackson
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Two bogus bomb threats in Jackson earlier this week sent dozens of first responders rushing to the scenes. The question now — could the people behind the prank calls have to pay up?
“Certainly there were a lot of cost and inconvenience to the county,” said Madison County Attorney Steve Maroney.
First responders in Jackson are assessing what it cost them to respond to two separate bomb threats Monday, one at North Side High School and the other at Portfolio Recovery Associates. “I don’t think I’d be wrong in saying that you’re probably looking in the thousands of dollars when you count all of the agencies involved,” Chief Max Stewart of the Jackson Fire Department said. He said it easily cost him more than a thousand dollars when you account for the hours his personnel and equipment spent on the scenes. “As far as the fire department and I’m sure the police department, it’s all in a day’s work and that’s what the taxes pay for,” Stewart said. Stewart said the two 17-year-olds arrested for the North Side High School bomb threat may not know all the ramifications that come with a threat like this such as possibly having to reimburse taxpayers. “The parents might not be responsible because there was no actual damage,” Maroney said. “Doesn’t mean there wasn’t a cost. There certainly was.”
Maroney also said recovering those costs would be something the district attorney evaluates. “Restitution is definitely a part of most criminal prosecutions when there’s any kind of loss suffered,” Maroney said. “The one factor here that makes things a little complicated here is that we’re dealing with juveniles.” Maroney said if found guilty of the current charge of filing a false report, the teens will face some type of penalty. No arrests have been made in the Monday afternoon bomb threat at Portfolio Recovery Associates. According to Chief Stewart, the Jackson Fire Department and its hazmat team as well as Jackson police and the bomb squad responded to both threats. He also expects to have a final cost for their response by Thursday.
