Toward the end of March, comedian T.J. Miller got himself into a lot of trouble for doing what he does best, running his mouth. He was arrested last Monday for calling in a bomb threat that the FBI has since confirmed to be false. In the words of the FBI, Miller stands accused of“intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device”. An obviously serious issue, the charge can carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The details are a sketchy version of he said, he said. Though Miller accused a woman riding a train with him from Washington D.C. to New York City, his story turned out to have substantial holes in it that would lead to his arrest. He reported seeing a woman repeatedly peeking into her bag, but never removing anything from it, prompting him to make the call. The trouble is, he made the call and reported the wrong train, so they ended up investigating a train that neither he nor the alleged suspicious woman was aboard. Naturally, investigators became wary of this, investigated the correct train, and found nothing suspicious whatsoever. Well, nothing suspicious except for Miller’s errant behavior.
Investigators inquired about Miller and this woman during interviews with train attendants after finding no evidence of explosives. Science says water influences 100% of the processes in our body, but according to witnesses, booze was influencing Miller’s behavior in the first class train car. Witnesses reported that he had a bunch of drinks and was part of several hostile exchanges with a woman in the same car.
Miller’s description of the woman was inconsistent during questioning, never mind that he reported the wrong train altogether. This was enough for authorities to arrest him and file charges. He was arrested on Monday and was released on $100,000 bond the next day. For what seems like an astonishing level of petty, he’ll be paying the price and risking potentially severe penalties along the way. In the entertainment world, they say that no publicity is bad publicity, but this is where that path ends. Whether a legitimate concern, a petty publicity stunt, or a drunkenly regrettable accusation, the comedian may swiftly find out that the wisest course of action is silence.
