MI Man Sentenced For Bomb Threat To Cruise Ship Girlfriend Was On Without Him: Report

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI — A Michigan man was sentenced to eight months in prison Monday for reporting a bogus bomb threat on a cruise ship his girlfriend went on without him, according to news reports.

Prosecutors said 19-year-old Joshua Darrell Lowe was upset that his girlfriend and her family left him at their Muskegon County home to watch the pets while they went on vacation.

He then emailed the Carnival Cruise Line in January 2024, writing, "Hey, I think someone might have a bomb on your sunrise cruise ship."

The cruise ship, Sunrise, had just departed Miami with a full complement of passengers and crew, and was sailing toward Jamaica as part of a Caribbean cruise when they got the message, prosecutors said.

The message forced the crew to check more than 1,000 rooms and required assistance from the US Coast Guard and Jamaican authorities to help the ship dock, prosecutors said.

Federal agents traced the email address to Lowe, who was living with his girlfriend’s family, prosecutors said.

Lowe was charged with making a false bomb threat and pleaded guilty to one count of false information and hoaxes. He initially faced up to five years in prison, but was sentenced to only eight months.

He apologized in a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney, writing, "This is all my fault and take full responsibility."

"Although the defendant may not have intended all the harm that resulted from his action, the consequences of his email were serious," Western District of Michigan assistant attorney Nils R. Kessler said. "The hoax resulted in substantial disruption, including inconvenience to the passengers and potential lost revenue to the cruise line."