Cautionary Call: One Man’s Phone Sparks Five Years Behind Bars

Steven Sandoval, 47, tried to dodge jail by dialing a bomb threat from a payphone near King Soopers in Brighton. The call triggered an evacuation of about 1, 000 courthouse staff and the store’s customers for four hours. Police traced the call quickly because they already knew Sandoval, and he was taken into custody. In early May, Sandoval had pleaded guilty to a felony false report of explosives. A month later, the judge handed him three years for that charge. The same day, he was also scheduled to face a separate identity‑theft case.Sandoval’s plan backfired when the court learned he was also guilty of identity theft. He received an additional two‑year sentence that runs after the first, turning a single call into five years in prison. The judge and district attorney warned that threats—real or imagined—disrupt public services and endanger communities. The case serves as a stern reminder that such actions will be prosecuted and punished.