A call reporting a bomb at a Smoothie King last week sent droves of law enforcement officers out to investigate in Duluth. Now, police are trying to track down the restaurant owner’s ex-husband, who they say made up the entire threat.
Gwinnett County police obtained an arrest warrant accusing 43-year-old Joshua Stone of transmitting a false public alarm, according to department spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn.
Investigators said on Jan. 20, Stone called 911 and told dispatchers someone was threatening to blow up the Smoothie King on Sugarloaf Parkway. Stone said he was calling from New York and was watching a man with a bomb on video surveillance, Flynn said.
Police officers, a SWAT team, a hazardous device unit and a police helicopter all convened on the business after the threat was reported. The store was closed for more than two hours for an investigation.
However, investigators soon learned that the owner of the smoothie shop was Stone’s ex-wife.
“She was able to tell detectives that Stone had been harassing her and had previously been arrested for violation of a protection order against her,” Flynn said. According to Gwinnett jail records, Stone was arrested Sept. 16, 2020 on a count of violating a family violence order.
Gwinnett investigators identified the Buckhead man from the 911 recording and discovered he had actually made the call from the Atlanta area, Flynn said. Police believe he may still be in the area and are working to locate him.
Anyone with information on Stone’s whereabouts is asked to contact Gwinnett police at 770-513-5300.
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