Metropolis man arrested after hoax call about jumper on I-24

A Metropolis man is facing charges after falsely reporting a jumper on the I-24 bridge.

Police were called last Tuesday about a person the caller said was threatening to jump off the I-24 Ohio River bridge. Agencies from both Massac and McCracken Counties rushed to the bridge while Emergency Management and Metropolis Fire officials got boats ready to put in the water.

Once investigators determined the call was a hoax, Metropolis Police began to track the phone that called it in. The phone allegedly belonged to 40-year-old Michael J. Seaton of Metropolis. Seaton was located by the pool at the City Park. He claimed that the call “must have been a misunderstanding.”

Seaton was charged with disorderly conduct-submitting a false report, but he was released on a notice to appear.