Southwestern Ill. man accused of school threat

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A southwestern Illinois man is jailed on $500,000 bond after forcing a school’s lockdown through a threat authorities say he called in from a tavern.

Prosecutors in Madison County have charged 55-year-old Robert Dean Smith with making a false terroristic threat.

Investigators say Smith made the alleged threat involving Granite City’s Coolidge Middle School during a call last Thursday from a tavern to a mental-health service.

Authorities say they traced the questioned call to the bar and arrested the unarmed Smith there.

Smith has no listed permanent address and could not be reached for comment Sunday. Online court records don’t show whether he has an attorney.