EUSTIS, Florida—A prank phone call turned into a felony charge for a 14-year-old Tavares boy Tuesday when he was arrested for making a false bomb threat last month.
Inside Lake is not naming the boy due to his age and the nature of the charge.
Around 5:45 p.m. April 9, Eustis Police Department responded to Wendy’s, 2827 South Bay Street on a report of a bomb threat. Officers evacuated the building and parking lot and spoke with the manager who said he received a call on the restaurant’s main line around 5:30 p.m.; the caller asked, “Is this Wendy’s?” and when the manager responded, “yes” the caller reportedly said, “You better get out, It’s about to blow up,” according to a juvenile pickup order. The manager wrote down the phone number the threat was made from.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad responded and conducted a sweep of the restaurant and parking lot and did not find any explosives, according to the pickup order.
On April 11, and EPD detective began investigating the case and linked the phone number back to the 14-year-old suspect. EPD interviewed the boy at Tavares Middle School, and he told detectives he made some prank phone calls with his stepbrother, including a call to Wendy’s. Police interviewed the boy’s stepbrother who also admitted making the call. It is unclear whether he is facing charges.
The boy was picked up Tuesday and turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
