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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ocala man threatens to blow up state building over child support calls

Michael Warren Smith

An Ocala man was arrested Tuesday after he was recorded on the phone telling an employee of a state agency that he’d blow up their building if they didn’t stop calling him about the child support he owes.

Michael Warren Smith, 39, of 11546 W. 35th St., was charged with making a false threat to plant a bomb on a property owned by the state of Florida and use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.

A Marion County sheriff’s deputy received a call at around 7:25 p.m. Tuesday from an employee with the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Services in Tallahassee. The employee reported that another employee with the agency called Smith’s phone at around 6 p.m. to speak about his next child support payment. During that conversation, Smith became irate and said he was going to blow them up if the child support office didn’t leave him alone, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The state employee played a recording of the conversation to the deputy, who heard Smith give his name, address and social security number. Smith and the employee then argued back and forth over the child support payment amount before Smith said, “If you guys do not leave me alone, I will come and blow your (expletive deleted) building up.” Smith then hung up the phone, the report said.

The deputy responded to Smith’s residence and spoke with him. Smith said he was home when the child support office called him. He said he did not threaten to harm people at the office and that he was just upset and talking to his girlfriend. When the deputy told Smith he heard him make the statement on the recording, he said he was mad and didn’t mean the part about blowing up the building, according to the report.

Smith’s girlfriend said she was present when Smith received the call and that he was mad when he made the threat to blow up the building, the report said.

Smith was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Wednesday on $7,000 bond. No court information was available.