East Alton Man Charged In Making False Bomb Threats To Alton Home Depot Store

On April 26, 2016, Jeremy R. Colwell, a thirty-three year old man from East Alton, Illinois, was charged by complaint in federal district court, in East St. Louis, for three counts of Conveying a False Threat, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, James L. Porter, announced today. Colwell faces a potential sentence of up to 5 years’ in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, not more than 3 years’ of supervised release after his prison term, and a mandatory special assessment of $100 per count.

Court proceedings revealed that on February 16, 2016, April 2, 2016, and April 4, 2016, Colwell is alleged to have faxed messages to the Alton Police Department, local news outlets, Home Depot in Alton, Illinois, as well as the FBI, threatening the detonation of a bomb at Home Depot in Alton, Illinois.

A complaint is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.