“There's a bomb in the building:" Jury returns verdict for man accused of bomb threat to FOX6

MILWAUKEE COUNTY -- 30-year-old Dion Byrd of Milwaukee, accused of phoning in a bomb threat to FOX6 News in March of 2014 has been found guilty by a jury during trial.

The jury returned the verdict on Tuesday, November 17th.

It took the jury about a half-hour to reach the guilty verdict.

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

He will be sentenced on December 10th.

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.

If convicted of this felony charge against him, Byrd could face a maximum of six years and three months in prison and/or a maximum of $10,000 in fines.

Bryd is due back in court for a scheduling conference on March 18th.