Nicholas Hall Speaks Out From Jail

MARIETTA, OH — Nicholas Hall is 18-years-old, and accused of calling in a number of bomb threats to schools in Washington County from his home in Thomson, Ga. He’s also accused of calling in threats to other areas in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania. The official story we’ve gotten from law enforcement was that he told law enforcement that he made the calls to get his girlfriend out of school. However today he spoke out from a jail pod in Washington County, Ohio.

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He said the phone calls were in fact related to his 17-year-old girlfriend that he met online, but he said he wasn't trying to help her. He said he was trying to scare her, that they were arguing and this was a way of getting back. He admits that it went too far.

He freely admits that he was involved, but he also admits that he wasn’t on his medication at the time. When asked if he believed he was in his right mind at the time he confessed that he wasn’t.

He claims there was a second person involved. He says it was a 13-year-old from Ohio who he met in an online hacking group. Hall said it was strange that this is the only part of his story law enforcement doesn’t believe. “How am I making it up if I said that I did it too.”

It should be noted that the investigation is ongoing, and there could be more details that come out later. An official with the Sheriff’s office had mentioned that if there is someone else involved, they want them to be caught as much as anyone.

Hall was arrested and questioned in Georgia. He didn’t get a lawyer while he was in Georgia being held waiting for extradition, because he was being charged for crimes in Ohio. Hall’s grandmother Angela Blackwood noted that it’s interesting that Washington County can pay to send investigators out of state to question him, but not pay to send a public defender down. He was given a public defender, nearly a month after his arrest, when he had been booked into the Washington County Jail.

Hall said in his jailhouse interview that he had made a call in Georgia, but that the charges for that call were dropped.

Hall was appointed Attorney Jake Blakesley from Noble County. The Washington County public defender's office said they couldn't represent him but didn't say what the reason was.

Now that Hall has a lawyer, he says he’s not pleased with him. He said that he thinks his attorney should have spoken out at his bond hearing to try and get his bond lowered. As it stands, Hall is behind bars on $2,000,000 bond.

The recording of the interview got cut off, but the interview did continue. Hall did say that he regretted making the calls he did. He didn't try to claim that he didn't make those calls, but he maintained there was someone else.

He’s due back in court on July 6 for a status hearing. He said that his lawyer is going to try to get some of his medical and school records. He said he wants to see his attorney’s defense before he decides whether to stick with him, or request another public defender.

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