Michigan girl not allowed to participate in school play. So her mom called in a bomb threat

A Michigan mother was sentenced this month after authorities said she made a false bomb threat to her daughter’s high school when the teenager was barred from participating in a school play due to an attendance policy violation.

Crystal Royster, 42, of Detroit, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to making a false bomb threat against Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores. In January 2026, a Macomb County judge sentenced her to 18 months of probation, including 14 days in jail, stemming from the incident in March 2025. Based on her charges, she could have spent up to 4 years in prison and paid a $5,000 fine.

The sick leading to the bomb-threat incident

According to court records and police statements, Royster’s daughter went home sick earlier in the school day on March 12, 2025. And under district rules, students who leave school due to illness are not eligible to participate in extracurricular activities on the same day, including performances.

That evening, the student was informed she would not be allowed to participate in the school play. Prosecutors said this upset Royster, who later placed two phone calls to the school, falsely claiming there was a bomb inside the building.

School officials immediately responded, evacuating roughly 700 students and staff while law enforcement officers searched the campus. No explosive devices were found, and authorities determined the threats were false, police said.

Officials tracked the call to Royster

Investigators traced the bomb threat calls back to Royster using standard call-tracking methods. She was arrested and charged with making a false report or threat of a bomb, a felony under Michigan law that carries a potential prison sentence. Prosecutors said the false report caused widespread disruption, wasted emergency resources, and alarmed students, parents, and school staff.

As part of her probation, Royster is required to complete a Class A impulse control program. She is also restricted from contacting victims connected to the case and must notify school officials before entering school property.

The judge declined to impose a longer jail term but emphasized the seriousness of making false threats to schools, particularly amid ongoing concerns about school safety, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.

“The defendant was sentenced today for making a false bomb report that resulted in a significant emergency response. While the court determined that probation was the appropriate outcome, her actions nonetheless caused disruption and concern within the community,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement after Royster’s sentencing was announced.