Dion Byrd, convicted of phoning in bomb threat to FOX6 News, sentenced to prison

MILWAUKEE COUNTY -- 30-year-old Dion Byrd, accused of phoning in a bomb threat to FOX6 News in March has been sentenced to prison.

Dion Byrd



Byrd was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of "bomb scares."

In court on Thursday, December 10th, Byrd was sentenced to serve 1.5 years in prison, and 2 years extended supervision.

FOX6 News received a phone call on March 4th, 2014 -- just after 7:00 a.m.

A caller with a male voice stated “there is a bomb in the building” twice, before hanging up.

FOX6 News notified its personnel and sent some of them home. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office’s Bomb Squad sent two bomb sniffing dogs to FOX6.

The building was searched, and nothing suspicious was found.

A criminal complaint in this case says the call was able to be traced to a home on 73rd Street.

Police responded to that home, and spoke with a female resident, who confirmed the phone number was to a land line at the address.

That individual told police her son, Dion Byrd, has been “exhibiting unusual behaviors lately,” according to the complaint.

The complaint says officers spoke with Byrd, who said he had been using the phone to make a call to his grandmother that morning. Phone records show a call was made at 7:03 a.m.

The complaint says Byrd denied calling FOX6, and denied making a bomb threat. Byrd said he may have accidentally leaned on the phone, inadvertently causing the phone to dial FOX6.

Byrd says FOX6 must have heard the TV in the background, and must have mistaken why they were hearing a bomb threat, according to the complaint.