Nibley man pleads not guilty to falsely reporting gun scare

Jimmie Willis, 27, arrested Thursday night.  The Nibley man is accused of calling 911 saying there was a gunman at the south Logan Walmart, to avoid being arrested during a traffic stop. 

LOGAN — A Nibley man has pleaded not guilty to calling in a gun threat to a local department store to reportedly avoid being arrested.

Jimmie Willis waived his right to a preliminary hearing Monday afternoon in 1st District Court. His attorney, David Perry told the court, they also wished to have bail set at $3000.

Prosecutor Jacob Gordon objected, stating that Willis was already on probation for a previous felony when he was arrested November 19.

Judge Thomas Willmore set bail at $5000, cash or bond, and ordered Willis to appear again in court December 7.

Willis is charged with misdemeanor obstructing justice, making a false alarm, driving on a denied license and giving false personal information to a police officer. The 27-year-old is accused of calling 911 and reporting that there was a gunman at the south Logan Walmart. The prank call caused a scare among customers and prompted police to temporarily lockdown the store and surrounding businesses.

Investigators later determined the call came from Willis who had been pulled over by an officer, making a traffic stop. It is believed the suspect made the call to lure the officer to the more important public safety incident and avoid being arrested. He was later booked into the Cache County Jail after SWAT team members surrounded his Nibley home.

<hr /><p style=”text-align: center;”>[email protected]

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!