A quiet Wednesday night at a Texas County nursing facility turned into a lockdown after a barrage of threatening phone calls from a man later identified as 28-year-old Jacob Leon Evans of Houston, according to authorities. Staff moved residents to safety, locked the building, and called police. Evans was ultimately arrested and booked into the Texas County Jail, where his bond was set at $3,000.
Police Say Late-Night Calls Escalated Into Violent Threats
The Licking Police Department was called out around 11 p.m. after staff reported a stream of menacing calls, E Communications reported. A licensed practical nurse told officers the caller, later identified as Evans, phoned the facility 11 times in about 30 minutes and repeatedly demanded to speak with a nursing assistant, according to the probable cause statement.
When officers picked up one of the calls, the suspect allegedly told them he had killed the victim’s dog and threatened to kill any officer or person who tried to stand in his way, the statement said. Those threats were serious enough that staff and police agreed the facility needed to lock down while officers worked to determine where the caller was and whether residents were in immediate danger.
First-Degree Terrorist-Threat Charge Under Missouri Law
Evans faces a charge of making a terrorist threat in the first degree in Texas County. Under Missouri law, that offense is defined as knowingly communicating a threat or false report meant to frighten ten or more people or to cause the evacuation or closure of a building or facility, according to the Missouri Revised Statutes.
The charge is a class D felony. State law provides that a class D felony can carry a sentence of up to seven years in prison, depending on how a judge applies the sentencing range and the specifics of the case, per the Missouri Revised Statutes.
Lockdown, Booking And Fallout For Staff And Residents
The threats led staff to put the nursing facility, which officers said had about 40 residents and three staff members on duty, into a full lockdown until police could confirm the suspect was no longer in the area, according to E Communications. The victim told officials she had arranged to stay somewhere else with her children because she feared for their safety in the wake of the threats.
Police arrested Evans and booked him into the Texas County Jail, where records listed his bond at $3,000. Based on the probable cause statement and online court entries, he is currently charged with first-degree making a terrorist threat. He remains in custody while the case moves through the local court system and prosecutors decide whether to pursue any additional filings or sentencing enhancements.
Residents, family members, or community members with questions about the case or the response can contact the Licking Police Department or the Texas County prosecutor’s office for updates as proceedings continue.
