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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man accused of calling in a hospital bomb threat because he was upset he couldn't attend his child's birth is being charged in federal court.
Michael Morlang was indicted Wednesday and faces up to 10 years if convicted, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah said in a news release.
The threat led to an evacuation and lockdown on Sept. 17 at a hospital in the small central Utah city of Richfield.
His wife and her father told investigators the day of the incident that Morlang made the bomb threat because he was angry about not being there for the birth, show court documents from state charges filed earlier this year.
The woman's father also told investigators that Morlang was upset because he heard his wife was going to have a procedure to prevent having more pregnancies.
A nurse told police she spoke with Morlang, and that he was "extremely upset that they were going forward with the birth" while he was still in Idaho.
Morlang acted like he didn't know of a threat when reached by phone that day while on a bus back to Idaho, Richfield City police investigators said in court documents. They weren't able to touch based with him after that.
Morlang is custody in Idaho on unrelated crime. It's not clear if he has an attorney.
The state charges filed in September against Morlang —one count of threat of terrorism — are being dismissed now that the federal government is pursuing charges, said U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch.
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