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Florida mother falsely accused of sending bomb threat gets charges dropped
A Cocoa, Florida mother speaks out after charges against her regarding a bomb threat have been dropped. The woman and her sister want more done because the situation caused the woman job opportunities and nearly tarnished her reputation.
COCOA, Fla. - A local mom is fighting to clear her name after police accused her of leaving a bomb threat at a local school.
Fox 35 first reported on the arrest last February when a threatening voicemail came into Cocoa High School. Now, the Florida State Attorney’s office is dropping the charges of making a false bomb report.
Still, the family says justice still isn’t served.
"I have gone through a lot and lost a lot because of this," said Anaya Smith, whose children attend Cocoa High School. "You know, job opportunities, everything, because that’s on your record, so I’ve gone through a lot."
Smith and her sister spoke out for the first time to Fox 35 on Friday following the state attorney’s office dropping the charges from last year.
The ordeal started last February. Police were called to Cocoa High School after a voicemail was left full of profanity and a threat to blow up the school because the caller said her kids weren’t being fed enough. Cocoa police say they then traced the number to Smith, and she was arrested.
It’s something she’ll never forget.
"When somebody is coming up to you, and you know you hadn’t done anything wrong – it was a scary moment, to say the least," Smith added.
In a statement, the state attorney’s office says they dropped all the charges because the "evidence supporting the positive identification of the defendant’s voice was insufficient." The attorney’s office also says, "prosecutors were legally and ethically obliged to abandon the prosecution."
"Because the allegations were loud and wrong, we want to make sure we’re just as loud and right," exclaimed Andrea Johnson, Smith’s sister who’s also been helping clear her name.
The family says they want police held accountable for the damage the arrest had on their family and the lasting impact it’s left.
"Somebody needs to be held accountable," Johnson concluded. "Because she’s lost so much and her reputation is basically what was on the line, we want all that cleared up."
Cocoa police tell Fox 35 they stand by their investigation and directed all other comments to come from the state attorney’s office.