Thursday, May 8, 2008; Posted: 3:30 p.m. (CDT)
Edmond, Okla. -- A UCO student who falsified a bomb threat because he wanted to get out of class is now out of class for good. Jason Shandy, 19, appeared in federal court Thursday. He faces three federal charges. KSBI-TV's Kealey McIntire has more.
The University of Central Oklahoma's tranquil atmosphere was compromised April 22, 2008. Officials say Jason Shandy, 19, reported a false bomb threat so he could get out of class. This is an excerpt of the 911 call he placed:
Dispatch: "Edmond 911 what's the address to your emergency?"
Shandy: "Not necessarily an address, this is kind of a weird thing. I was at Bryant and 15th at the 7-11. I was walking outside and I went in to buy something to drink, I was walking outside and there was these three dudes all talking about how they're going to blow up UCO."
Dispatch: "They're going to do what?"
Shandy: "They're going to blow up UCO, like the school."
Hunter Scott, a UCO freshman, hadn't heard of the false threat until we told him.
"It's just kind of scary first of all because there was a bomb threat. You really wouldn't expect to have that happen here," says Scott.
Students were not immediately notified because officials quickly discovered the threat was false. However, several law enforcement agencies covered the campus for 12 hours making sure there was no bomb.
If convicted, Shandy may have to pay for those response costs.
"When you turn out law enforcement response from four different agencies in the middle of the night for many many hours, it's a substantial response," says John Richter, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Richter held a news conference to demonstrate these threats will not be taken lightly. Shandy now faces three federal charges, one for false information and hoaxes and two for giving false statements to federal law enforcement.
One student says he should be punished.
"For all the people that go to school here and the kids that live on campus, that's not anything we want to have to deal with, especially during the last couple weeks of school," says Julia Bonewell, a UCO sophomore.
If nothing else, UCO officials say this incident proves their response plan worked, which is a comforting thought for Scott.
"We had a discussion at the beginning of the school year with President Webb about how we're one of the safest schools in the nation. I truly believe it because we have had scares and incidents, but nothing has ever happened," says Scott.
Richter expects Shandy to go to trial within the next two months. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
