UPDATE: (Feb. 11, 2019) In a news release issued on Monday, the Jackson County state’s attorney in Illinois said Bagley has now been charged with “11 separate disorderly conduct counts of making false bomb threats.”
If convicted, Bagley could face up to five years in prison on each charge, according to the state’s attorney.
An American man has been arrested after several bomb threats were made in the community of Taber, Alta., late last week.
Early Sunday morning, the Taber Police Service said a man from Illinois was arrested on 10 counts of felony bomb threats.
On Friday, police said three schools in Taber received anonymous bomb threats via phone calls from an unknown individual. Investigations found there was no threat at any of the schools, according to police.
Walmart Canada also confirmed Friday that its Taber location was the target of a bomb threat twice in 24 hours. The first occurred Thursday night via an anonymous phone call, while the second took place on Friday. In both cases, the store had to be evacuated as police conducted a search.
Watch below: Police are investigating anonymous bomb threats left by voicemail to schools and a local store in Taber on Friday. Demi Knight reports. (Filed Feb. 8, 2019).
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it was contacted late Friday by police in Taber in relation to 10 bomb threats that were made over a 48-hour period. Locations, it said, included schools, a hospital, a bank, a police agency and a store.
The statement said Justin Bagley of Elkville, Illinois, faces 10 counts felony disorderly conduct and is being held in the Jackson County Jail.
According to court documents from the Perry County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Bagley was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2005. He was given a four-year sentence.
The document states Bagley “knowingly transmitted to a Wal-Mart employee a false alarm that a chemical bomb was concealed in the Wal-Mart Store… in Perry County, Illinois, where its explosion would endanger human life, knowing at the time of such transmission that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that such a chemical bomb was concealed on the Wal-Mart property.”
In a statement early Sunday morning, Taber police chief Graham Abela said he is “very proud of the work done by my officers and Taber Fire Department.”
Police did not release any further information on Sunday. Taber police said more information would be released on Tuesday.
Taber is located about 50 kilometres east of Lethbridge.
With files from The Canadian Press.