Man in bus-bomb prank pleads guilty to felony
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A 23-year-old Redmond man responsible for a September bomb scare on the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge pleaded guilty yesterday to a felony charge of threatening to bomb and injure.
Jared Brandon Jackson, who yelled at a bus driver that a bomb was on board, could face three to nine months in jail. But prosecutors said yesterday that they will recommend a first-time-offender waiver, which means 60 days of confinement and electronic home monitoring, with credit for nine days served.
According to Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Jackson also would have to complete 30 days of community service, maintain full-time employment and undergo a mental-health evaluation.
Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced April 27 by Judge Michael Fox in King County Superior Court.
On Sept. 25, around 5:30 p.m., Jackson was sitting in the bed of a pickup traveling east on the bridge. The truck, driven by Jackson's brother, pulled up on the left side of a Metro bus.
Jackson waved his arms at the bus driver, pointed at the bus and shouted, "There's a bomb on your bus!"
The bus stopped at the east end of the bridge, and the driver, Parnell Coyle, evacuated his passengers. The bridge was shut down for more than three hours during the evening rush hour. No bomb was found.
According to court papers, Jackson called 911 after he saw live TV reports of the incident when he got home. He told a dispatcher that the bomb threat was a joke and that he didn't think it would be taken seriously.
Jackson has prior convictions for negligent driving and providing liquor to a minor.
Michael Ko can be reached at 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com.