WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A New Mexico man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for making bomb threats against an elementary school and a Walmart in southern Delaware.
The office of U.S. Attorney in Delaware David Weiss says 29-year-old Stephen Scott Landes was sentenced Wednesday to 27 months in federal prison. Landes earlier pleaded guilty to interstate threats concerning the use of an explosive.
Prosecutors say Landes falsely reported in May 2018 that he had planted bombs at the Georgetown school and Walmart while claiming to be a Georgetown resident.
Such schemes, which cause police and SWAT teams to respond to fake emergencies, are known as “swatting.”
Authorities say the incident stemmed from an online feud between Landes and a Georgetown man, who himself is accused of falsely reporting shootings and other emergencies in five states.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.