A 46-year-old Boca Raton woman is behind bars after Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies say she dialed 911 on Thursday and threatened to blow up Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Investigators say the caller told dispatchers her green card had been stolen and that she missed an immigration appointment before escalating to the bomb threat. Deputies later tracked her down and arrested her in Fort Lauderdale. No explosive device was found and no one was hurt, but authorities say she now faces felony charges and is being held on bond while the case works its way through the courts.
Call, Arrest And Charges
According to Local 10, Broward Sheriff’s Office records show Barbara Lara, 46, called 911 around 8:25 a.m. Thursday and told a dispatcher there was an emergency at the “Fort Lauderdale airport.” The report says she told the dispatcher her green card had been stolen and that she had “missed an appointment,” then followed up with, “Send me Homeland Security to the airport before I blow up your airport. This is a real threat.”
Deputies said Fort Lauderdale police officers arrested Lara in front of an apartment building at 715 NE Sixth St. She was booked on counts of threatening to throw, place or discharge a destructive device and misuse of 911, charges that can carry serious consequences even when a threat turns out to be a hoax.
What The Law Says
Florida law makes it a felony to threaten to “throw, project, place, or discharge” a destructive device under F.S. 790.162. A separate statute, F.S. 365.172, covers misuse of the 911 system and makes false or misleading emergency calls unlawful, with penalties that can increase for repeat offenders.
Prosecutors and judges tend to treat airport-related threats as anything but a prank, and Florida’s statutes give them room to file felony charges based purely on the threat that is made, regardless of whether a bomb is ever found.
Airport Context And Past Scares
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has had more than its share of nerves tested in recent months. Earlier this week, deputies cleared a JetBlue aircraft after a passenger allegedly made a threat, according to Hoodline’s coverage of the incident. Airport officials and the sheriff’s office say they treat every potentially credible threat as real until explosive-detection teams finish their sweeps and give the all clear…