Alabama man charged with federal bomb threats in Mississippi

Claude Henry Bates Jr., a 41-year-old man from Montgomery, Alabama, faces federal charges for allegedly sending bomb threats to a Mississippi coroner and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

According to federal investigators, the threats were made via blocked numbers following a grand jury's decision not to file criminal charges in the death investigation of Nolan Wells. The criminal complaint alleges that Bates called the office of Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr., claiming a bomb had been placed under the coroner’s vehicle. The Sheriff’s Office also reportedly received two additional warnings.

FBI investigators state that phone records linked Bates to the calls. While Bates reportedly told agents that someone else had used his phone, investigators claim call history records contradict that account. Bates is currently in the custody of U.S. Marshals.