Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Making a Bomb Threat

Jackson, MS - A Meridian man pleaded guilty on March 19, 2026, to the charge of threatening to unlawfully damage and destroy a building on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and Gabriel Billie, Director of Choctaw Public Safety for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

According to court documents, Joshua Mark Davis, 37, of Meridian, used a phone inside the Silver Star Hotel & Casino of the Pearl River Resort on the Choctaw Indian Reservation to make a bomb threat.

In May of 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Davis on the charge. Davis pleaded guilty to the charge and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2026. Davis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne, Brian K. Burns, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.