A Richmond County man has pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat that sent the Social Security Administration’s Augusta office into lockdown.
Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, entered a guilty plea to Using a Telephone to Make a Threat to Injure a Person or Damage a Building by Explosives, a federal charge that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia.
The plea agreement outlines the events of September 2023, when Dickens received a notice from the Social Security Administration that they intended to recoup overpayments to his Supplemental Security Income from future SSI checks. In response, Dickens made a threatening phone call to the Social Security office, stating, ‘I’m going to shoot the office up and I’m going to blow it up. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.’
Dickens later visited the office carrying a backpack and showed a note that read ‘I have a bomb’ to a security officer, who promptly notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. The building was locked down and evacuated, but no bomb was found and Dickens was taken into custody by Richmond County deputies.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, with the United States being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Dickens upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services. The details of the investigation and Dickens’ motivations remain unclear, but one thing is certain: the threat of a bomb scare had a devastating impact on the employees and patrons of the Social Security office.
Dickens’ guilty plea is a stark reminder of the consequences of making threats of violence, particularly in a sensitive and secure environment like a government office.
The people of Richmond County and the nation deserve better than to live in fear of such threats. We hope that Dickens receives a just and fair sentence for his crimes.
The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and provide updates on Dickens’ sentencing and any other developments.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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