Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Columbus Man's Anonymous Text Empties Four MSU Residence Halls at 6:24 PM -- and Earns 10 Years Maximum

MSbomb threatemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

At 6:24 p.m. CDT on August 25, 2023, Mississippi State University Police received an anonymous text message threatening a bomb on campus. Maroon Alert emergency notifications immediately evacuated Hathorn, Hull, Nunnelee, and Sessums residence halls while K-9 units swept the buildings. No device was found. MSU Police investigation led to the October 5, 2023 arrest of Isaac Terrell Pryor, 36, of Columbus, Mississippi, on charges of false report of a bomb -- an offense carrying up to $10,000 in fines and 10 years in prison under Mississippi law.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Mississippi State University
Public R1 · MS
~22,000 studentsMaroon Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction250 chars
Maroon Alert: MSU Police are responding to a bomb threat on campus. Evacuate Hathorn, Hull, Nunnelee, and Sessums halls immediately. Move away from the buildings. Do not return until an all-clear is issued. Law enforcement and K-9 units are on scene.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

MSU Police received the anonymous threat via text message at 6:24 p.m. CDT on August 25, 2023 -- a late-summer Friday evening with students returned for the fall semester
Hathorn, Hull, Nunnelee, and Sessums are all residence halls on MSU's main campus in Starkville, Mississippi
K-9 units were deployed as part of the sweep alongside MSU Police and law enforcement partners
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction254 chars
Maroon Alert: All clear. MSU Police and law enforcement partners have swept Hathorn, Hull, Nunnelee, and Sessums halls. No explosive device was found. Residents may return to their rooms. The investigation is ongoing to identify the source of the threat.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear came after K-9 units and officers completed sweeps of all four residence halls
MSU incurred financial losses from the emergency response and the deployment of law enforcement partners, per the university's October 2023 press release
Isaac Terrell Pryor, 36, of Columbus, MS, was identified through investigation and arrested on October 5, 2023 -- 41 days after the incident
Context

Background

Mississippi State University uses its Maroon Alert system for campus emergencies. On August 25, 2023, at 6:24 p.m. CDT, MSU Police received an anonymous text message threatening a bomb, triggering immediate evacuations of four on-campus residence halls: Hathorn, Hull, Nunnelee, and Sessums. K-9 units swept all four buildings and found no device. MSU announced on October 5, 2023 that Isaac Terrell Pryor, a 36-year-old Columbus, Mississippi man, had been arrested and charged with false report of a bomb -- an offense under Mississippi Code that carries a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison. MSU stated it would seek 'appropriate punishment' and noted that the incident caused fear, alarm, and financial losses to the university. The case is notable for the age of the suspect (36, not a student) and the use of text messaging rather than the phone calls or social media posts more typical in the 2022 wave. MSU's Starkville campus was also among those targeted in the July 2022 community-college bomb wave, giving the institution repeated experience with the emergency notification pipeline for bomb threats.
Outcome
No explosive device found. Four residence halls evacuated and swept by K-9 units. Isaac Terrell Pryor, 36, of Columbus, MS, arrested October 5, 2023. Charged with false report of a bomb; faces up to $10,000 fine and 10 years prison. MSU stated it would seek 'appropriate punishment.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Arrest made in bomb threat hoax that disrupted university activities, MSU will seek 'appropriate punishment' (Mississippi State University)
    msstate.edu
  2. News
    Arrest made in bomb threat hoax at MSU (WTOK)
    wtok.com
Tags
bomb-threatarrest-madeanonymous-textpublic-r1mississippistarkvilleresidence-hall-evacuationnon-student-suspectmaroon-alertHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion