Suspect: School Bomb Threat Was Easter Gift

An Iron Range man has been charged with threatening Hermantown High School, but police say he was only doing it to give students a longer holiday away from the classroom.

John Mingo, 56, of Virginia, admitted he called in a bomb threat to the high school on March 31, according to police.

He eventually would tell police it was just a joke and he had no intentions of harming anybody and only wanted to give the children a “little extra Easter break,” according to police.

Police say their initial investigation revealed he made the bomb threat because he was angry with social services.

Mingo is facing a felony charge for threats of violence.

The maximum punishment for the crime is three years in prison and or a $3,000 fine.