Fort Belknap man suspected of making a hoax threat to blow up Dodson school arraigned on charges

GREAT FALLS — A Fort Belknap man suspected of making threats to blow up the school in Dodson, near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, was arraigned Tuesday on charges, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Jacob Erwin Wilson, 40, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with false information and hoaxes. If convicted of the most serious crime, Wilson faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided. Wilson was detained pending further proceedings.

As alleged in the indictment, on Aug. 29, near Dodson, near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, Wilson placed a phone call to 911 and to the Dodson school and stated he was going to blow up the school.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

PACER case reference. 23-111.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl

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