Man pleads not guilty to Columbus hospital bomb threat
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) -- The man charged with making a bomb threat against Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle has pleaded not guilty.
Michael Sparks, 25, waived a preliminary hearing and entered the plea during a court appearance Thursday in Oxford. Sparks faces federal charges in connection with the incident last Friday in Columbus.
An FBI affidavit filed in the court record says the hospital operator received a call around 12:13 p.m. She told agents the caller asked her if she wanted to die before telling her there was a bomb in the hospital and she had 15 minutes to get everyone out. Non-essential personnel and patients who were ambulatory were evacuated, but critically ill patients, their families and caregivers remained inside.
Law enforcement working with AT&T was able to trace the call to the Leflore County Restitution Center in Greenwood. The FBI affadavit says Sparks' voice was identified by corrections officers.
Court records say he waived his Miranda rights and told agents he made the bomb threat and it was a "foolish prank". The phone used by Sparks to make the call was found and showed the call made to the hospital.
He is currently being held in federal custody on charges of using a cellphone to communicate a bomb threat.
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