Woman Allegedly Phoned in Bomb Threat to a Montana Banquet

The subject has been, and always will be, controversial. Full disclosure: To defend or oppose the practice is not why we are here.

Rather, this post is about someone who allegedly had so much anger toward a Montana organization, that she deemed it necessary to frighten an entire gathering. That has resulted in an indictment and trial date.

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Attorney's office announced that during an arraignment earlier this month, 64-year-old Dora Gomez of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with false information and hoaxes. In short, a bomb threat.

The indictment alleges that in the spring of this year, Ms. Gomez placed an anonymous call to a banquet organized by the Montana Trappers Association, being held in Dillon. The caller informed organizers that (some paraphrasing here) a remotely operated explosive device was located inside the building where the banquet was taking place and people could get hurt.

The FBI is said to be investigating the case, and they have stated that they are not aware of any ongoing threats regarding the matter. Also, there are no reports of any explosive devices being found at the banquet venue in Dillon.

Dora Gomez, also known by Bella Gomez, was released pending further proceedings. A trial date has been set for Dec. 20 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

If convicted of the most serious crime, Gomez faces a maximum five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. An indictment is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

There is a PACER system that allows people to monitor cases through the U.S. District Court Calendar. We will try to keep you up to date on future proceedings with the case.