Accused 'Prankster' faces felony charges
The Lufkin Daily News
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Diboll man made his first court appearance Wednesday on felony charges related to a Lufkin McDonald's prank call which cost more than $5,000 in damages.
James Tyler Markle has been appointed an attorney to represent him on a third-degree felony charge of terroristic threat. He is being held in the county jail on a $10,000 bail.
 Jessica Savage/The Lufkin Daily News
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| James Tyler Markle, 19, is escorted Wednesday morning from the Angelina County Courthouse by sheriff's deputy L. Vincze. Markle made his first court appearance on felony terroristic threat charges for his alleged involvement a June 20 prank call to a Lufkin McDonald's, which cost $5,000 in damage. |
The 19-year-old made national news after TheSmokingGun.com, a New York-based news organization, published an investigative article Aug. 4, naming Markle and others for their involvement in an organized Internet prank group called Pranknet.org. The pranks largely involved members placing calls to fast-food restaurants and convincing staff to activate the business fire suppression system, costing thousands of dollars in damages.
During one prank detailed by TSG, Markle, known as "Prankster," allegedly called a Baytown Arby's and succeeded in posing as a local firefighter who convinced a worker to activate the kitchen's fire suppression system. The hoax reportedly cost $4,600 in damages, according to a TSG report.
The article piqued the interest of Lufkin Police investigators who were looking into a similar incident that happened June 20 at a McDonald's restaurant on South Timberland Drive. Investigators eventually linked Markle to it through phone records and he was arrested Tuesday on felony charges. During questioning, Markle admitted to taking part in the Lufkin prank, according to police.
In the Lufkin case, Markle is said to have called a restaurant employee whom he convinced to test the ANSUL fire suppression system because he said it had been having problems, according to an arrest report.
The caller asked the employee to remove the safety pin on the emergency extinguisher and pull the handle. It caused the device to spray a clear liquid onto a grill in the kitchen. The caller then told the employee the liquid was a deadly toxin and advised her to evacuate the building, the report stated.
The employee cleared the building of all 25 people inside. Once outside, Markle called her on a cell phone number she had given him, which he had asked for to provide her further instructions. He then told her to break out the business windows for ventilation. The employee ended up using a tire tool to break out four windows. The hoax cost more than $5,000 in damages, the report stated.
Markle has also been charged in a similar prank in Jefferson Parish, La. He is being investigated for his alleged involvement in prank calls made July 20 to a Lexington, Ky. hotel, which ended when a worker drank a guest's urine sample, according to TSG.
Outside the Angelina County Courthouse on Wednesday, two bailiffs escorted Markle and three other inmates who were brought to court Wednesday morning to meet with a judge. The four, whom together made up the morning jail call, filed toward a parked sheriff's office van.
A news reporter standing nearby snapped a photograph.
"Why's she taking a picture?" said a man shackled to the right of Markle.
"She's taking a photo of me," Markle said, cracking a smile.