Grand Jury Returns Indictment Alleging Man Made Bomb Threat At Sevier Valley Medical Center

            SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Wednesday afternoon charging Michael Sherman Morlang, age 26, of Payson with making a bomb threat to a hospital.

            On the morning of Sept. 17, 2015, the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield received a bomb threat.  The hospital evacuated everyone possible and remained on lockdown for several hours. Individuals seeking emergency care, including patients in ambulances, had to be diverted to another hospital.

            The indictment alleges Morlang called in the bomb threat, conveying information he knew to be false concerning an attempt being made to damage or destroy a building.  The potential maximum penalty for the charge is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.

            Morlang is in custody in Idaho on an unrelated warrant.  A federal arrest warrant will be issued following today’s indictment.

            The Richfield Police Department, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI have coordinated the investigation of the case.  The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. George.