Washington man arraigned for February bomb threat to Marine City schools

An 18-year-old man who is accused of making a fake bomb threat in Marine City was arraigned Thursday.

Austin Kroll, of Vancouver, Washington, was charged with false report of a bomb or harmful device, punishable with up to four years in prison.

The case involves an incident in February in which students and staff at Marine City High School, Marine City Middle School and Riverview East High School evacuated after an anonymous tipster made a false report of explosives at the campus shared by all three schools.

Kroll appeared for his arraignment via Zoom from Washington. St. Clair County Assistant Prosecutor Natalie Burns said in court that an investigation found the incident began with a fight over social media.

The defendant reportedly knew students from one of the schools and had contact with them through Snapchat. The fake bomb threat was reportedly made in response to an argument within the Snapchat group.

Defense Attorney Samuel Bennett said Kroll has no prior criminal history and asked that he be allowed to remain in Washington as the case proceeded. He said Kroll had family support in Vancouver and had shown his willingness to cooperate with the court.

Magistrate Judge Susan Borovich agreed to grant Kroll release on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, meaning he will not have to post bail to continue his release. Kroll will still be required to travel to St. Clair County for hearings, however, and will owe the bond amount if he fails to appear.

Borovich also issued a no-contact order between Kroll and the three schools involved, including through social media.

A probable cause conference was scheduled for July 19 before District Judge Michael Hulewicz, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 26.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jr_Hogan1.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Washington man arraigned for February bomb threat to Marine City schools