A woman from Michigan called in phony bomb threats during a school play as retaliation for her daughter being left out.
Crystal Royster, 43, has admitted to making hoax bomb threats against her daughter’s high school in suburban Detroit after the student was barred from participating in a school play, according to court records.
Royster pleaded guilty to one felony count of making a false report or bomb threat.
Prosecutors said she made two phone calls to Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores on March 12, 2025, claiming there may have been bombs on campus.
Authorities said the calls prompted an immediate response from law enforcement and school officials.
More than 700 students, staff members, and visitors were evacuated from the Macomb County high school while St. Clair Shores police conducted a search of the building.
Police later confirmed that no explosives were discovered on school property.
According to Law & Crime, Royster’s daughter had been sent home early from school that day because she was sick, which kept her from taking part in a scheduled school play. Prosecutors said the threats were made shortly afterward.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a press release that the false threats caused panic within the school community and spurred a significant emergency response.
“While the court determined that probation was the appropriate outcome, her actions nonetheless caused disruption and concern within the community,” Lucido said.
At the time of the incident, Lake Shore High School issued a statement to students and families explaining that the threats occurred while an elementary school performance was being held on campus.
“With the assistance of the St. Clair Shores Police Department and our staff, the building was immediately evacuated and all in the building left safely from the event,” the statement said.
School officials also warned that the threat was believed to be a hoax intended to disrupt school operations but said law enforcement would complete a full sweep of the building before normal activities resumed.
Royster later reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and formally entered her guilty plea on November 13.
At the beginning of January, a judge sentenced her to two weeks in the Macomb County Jail, followed by 18 months of probation.
As part of her sentence, Royster was ordered to have no contact with the victims, notify the school in advance before showing up on grounds, and complete a Class A impulse control course.
In a separate case elsewhere in Michigan, a father is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say he fired a handgun outside his son’s middle school when school officials refused to allow him to pick the child up.
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Shawntez Marshaun Gregory, 44, is charged with making a false report or threat of terrorism, making an intentional threat to commit an act of violence against a school, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon in a weapons-free school zone, and reckless use of a firearm.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said the incident occurred at Romulus Middle School in Romulus, which is also near Detroit.
According to prosecutors, Gregory arrived at the school and attempted to remove his son but was denied entry by staff.
Authorities said Gregory became angry and, while standing around one foot from the school building, fired several rounds from a handgun. Prosecutors said the shots were not directed at the school.
The school was immediately placed on lockdown after reports of an active shooter outside the building.
Romulus police responded and arrested Gregory without incident. No students, staff members, or officers were physically injured.
Gregory later appeared virtually in Romulus District Court, where he reportedly refused to cooperate with the proceedings.
According to video of the hearing, he made hostile remarks toward the judge and declined to answer basic questions.
Court officials said Gregory has a history of trespassing complaints and previously violated court orders by removing his son from school without authorization.
Prosecutors requested that Gregory be held without bond and ordered to have no contact with the school, its staff, students, his child, or his ex-wife.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the case demonstrated the importance of schools immediately reporting perceived threats.
“This case is every parent’s nightmare,” Worthy said. “The immediate reporting of an active shooter by the school allowed the Romulus Police to quickly respond and apprehend the defendant.”
In Kansas, a Wichita man has been sentenced to prison for the shooting of a teenager during a confrontation linked to a high school social game.
Ruben Contreras, 49, was sentenced to 43 months in prison for the May 11, 2024, shooting of Anakin Zehring in a Goddard parking lot.
Court records show Zehring and two friends arrived at a Walmart on West Kellogg Drive in Goddard while participating in a game commonly known as “senior assassins,” in which players use water guns to target assigned participants.
Prosecutors said Zehring fired gel blaster beads toward Contreras’ daughter and her boyfriend while shouting that he was a “senior assassin.”
The pair, who told investigators they did not know Zehring, ran inside the store and later contacted Contreras.
Contreras arrived at the parking lot and waited in his vehicle with his daughter.
When Zehring and his friends returned to their car and attempted to leave, prosecutors said Contreras ran toward the vehicle.
Authorities said Contreras pulled a black Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun from his waistband and fired one round through the rear window of the moving car, striking Zehring in the lower back.
The vehicle continued rolling through the parking lot before crashing into nearby shipping containers.
Zehring survived the initial shooting but suffered serious injuries.
In November 2025, a Sedgwick County jury found Contreras guilty of one count of aggravated battery. Jurors acquitted him of a separate charge of attempted first-degree murder.
Judge Seth Rundle imposed the maximum sentence allowed under Kansas law for the conviction.
In addition to the prison term, Contreras was ordered to serve 36 months of post-release supervision and register as a violent offender for 15 years.
