Ohio woman charged with bomb threats to Mississippi offices

Michelle Francine Edwards, an Ohio woman, was charged on July 30 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi with one count of transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce.

On July 23, Edwards allegedly made bomb threat calls to the George County Chancery Clerk's Office (21 calls) and Jackson County Sheriff's Office dispatch (8 calls), using *67 to mask her identity and stating phrases like 'do not go outside' and 'the clock is ticking.'

The threats prompted a building lockdown and bomb sweep with K-9 units. Investigators identified Edwards through an emergency disclosure request to C-Spire and Verizon, linking the phone number to her Cash App and Cincinnati Police Department records.

Cell tower data placed the device near Edwards' known addresses in Cincinnati, Ohio. She faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years' supervised release.

The threats occurred after the death of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teen found dead on July 6 near Horn Island. Edwards's motive is not stated in the article.