EAST ST. LOUIS – A district judge in southern Illinois sentenced DeAyre M. Jones, a 32-year-old man from Land O’ Lakes, Fla., to 87 months in prison for making a bomb threat to Scott Air Force Base and cyberstalking an active duty Air Force member.
Jones pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication with threat to injure, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of threatening and conveying false information concerning the use of fire or an explosive.
“The defendant intentionally disrupted operations at Scott Air Force Base to make a bomb threat and send harassing messages to base officials,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Luckily, this incident was a false alarm, but our national security and the Air Force community depend on uninterrupted service at the base. I’m grateful to the investigators for their efforts to hold this offender accountable.”
Court documents revealed that Jones used multiple fake Facebook profiles to accuse a woman, with whom he had a prior personal relationship, of having a bomb and tracker attached to her car at Scott Air Force Base in September 2022. Base officials responded by dispatching an explosive detection canine and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team to search the vehicle and surrounding lot, but no items of concern were found.
“This successful joint investigation between our office, the FBI, and assistance by the United States Marshall Service sends the message that we treat any disruption to the Air Force mission very seriously. The tireless efforts of all teams involved ensured the base remained safe and fully operational at all times,” said Special Agent Joseph Straus, AFOSI Detachment 301, Commander.
The victim identified Jones as the potential suspect, and the investigation confirmed that he had created multiple fake Facebook profiles to harass the victim and make several bomb threats to the base.
“DeAyre Jones embarked on a campaign of harassment that brought extreme distress to the victim and led to a hoax bomb threat which created chaos in the day-to-day operations of Scott Airforce Base,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “Hoax threats cause a significant drain on resources and taxpayer dollars and put innocent people at risk. Because safety is paramount to the FBI and our law enforcement partners, we will use all available resources to investigate and determine the credibility of a bomb threat.”
Jones also admitted to sending threatening and harassing messages to the victim and other base officials from August through December 2022. The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI Springfield Field Office contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. Carraway prosecuted the case.
