The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling requiring a northeast Iowa man to pay big money for making bomb threats. The Appeals Court ruled Rex Allen Miles must pay 70-thousand dollars in restitution to the schools in Fayette County he threatened three years ago. All the schools in the county were evacuated after Miles called in the threat to an area radio station. Miles had challenged the lower court ruling, saying the state’s victim restitution laws apply only to individual victims and not public agencies. Oelwein Schools Superintendent Kent Mutchler says it’s an important ruling. Mutchler says evacuating the schools cost time, money and was emotionally upsetting.Mutchler hopes this will be a deterrent to others who may think about doing the same thing.Miles, who was also known as Jason Baker, also argued the court failed to consider his ability to pay the 70-thousand dollars. The Appeals Court ruled he can pay the restitution in installments.Miles was also sentenced to five years in prison for the crime.
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