By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A man who was arrested by the Alabaster Police Department on Feb. 3 and charged with one count of making terrorist threats during a television interview is scheduled to appear in Shelby County Circuit Court on April 5.

Alabaster resident Ernest Jacks Jr., 68, was arrested a few days after he was interviewed by the Fox 6 television station.

Jacks is the roommate of David Gatlin, who was convicted of murdering his estranged wife in 1993. Gatlin was serving a life sentence for the crime when he was pardoned in January 2012 by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and released from prison.

Jacks originally was scheduled to appear in court this week, but Circuit Court Supervisor Jill Smitherman said his case was continued until April 5. Smitherman said the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office has been appointed to represent Jacks.

During the televised Fox 6 interview, Jacks claimed “I will solve Social Security. How I’ll do that is I’ll bomb Florida and Arizona where there’s thousands of them. And then we won’t have to pay their Social Security checks.”

Jacks also said “in essence, I’m the anti-Christ” during the interview.

Alabaster Deputy Police Chief Curtis Rigney said the arrest was tied to Jacks’ comments during the television interview.

Jacks was released from the Shelby County Jail on a $15,000 bond.