Hermiston Man’s ‘Bomb’ Prank Lands Him in Jail

The guy even alerted the garbage collector about the gag, but authorities still didn't think it was funny.

According to Hermiston police, 23-year-old David U. Ponce, of Hermiston, is in the Umatilla County Jail facing charges of possession of a hoax destructive device and disorderly conduct.

November 30th, shortly after 6:20am, police were called to 217 East Beebe for a report of a box found in a trash can. The cardboard box, found by a Sanitary Disposal employee, had "this is a bomb" written on it.

Authorities say Ponce was trying to play a hoax on a friend, and inside the box was actually a beer bottle. But it was enough to bring out the bomb squad, who x-rayed the box prior to destroying it. Ponce admitted to his role in the prank, and even said he contacted the garbage truck driver to tell him about it. But authorities, especially these days, err on the side of caution.

Ponce has a lengthy history with Umatilla County authorities, with an astounding 29 arrests and 62 citations, according to the East Oregonian.