False Public Alarms

A person who initiates or willfully circulates a report of an impending bombing or other offense or catastrophe, knowing that the report or warning is false or baseless and that it is likely to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transport, or to cause public inconvenience or alarm, shall, for the first offense, be imprisoned for not more than two years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both.  For the second or subsequent offense, the person shall be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined not more than $10,000.00, or both.  In addition, the court may order the person to perform community service.  Any community service ordered under this section shall be supervised by the department of corrections.  Additionally, any student who initiates a false public alarm will also lose his/her driver’s license for 180 days for the first offense and for two years for the second offense.  If the guilty party is not old enough to hold a driver’s license, that penalty will be imposed when the individual is eligible to obtain a driver’s license.  Beyond the aforementioned criminal penalties, any student involved in initiating, circulating, or perpetuating “False Public Alarms” will be subject to expulsion for the remainder of the school year.