Police Working Hard to Catch Culprit After Third Walmart Bomb Threat

What is typically a quiet, serene town has become home to a week of nearly non-stop bomb threats at a State College supermarket. 

It started on Thursday when the Walmart on North Atherton Street was evacuated after a bomb threat was reported to police.

It’s unclear if the call went to the store itself or the police department, but what is clear is that shoppers and employees spent over an hour waiting in the paring lot as K9 unit dogs scoured the store for explosives.

Another bomb threat came over the weekend on Sunday night, followed by a third threat on Monday morning, again forcing everyone out of the store for at least two hours.

Patton Township police chief John Petrick said Monday afternoon that the police are taking these threats very seriously despite the fact that the first three calls turned out to be hoaxes.

“We take these bomb threats very seriously and we’re using all our resources to solve this investigation,” Petrick said. “Any time we have threats of violence, which cause evacuation and serious public inconvenience, it’s a very serious matter.”

Petrick said he isn’t sure if it’s a single perpetrator or multiple callers, but regardless, if and when the caller is found there will be serious charges to face.

“Charges that would be pending include terroristic threats, which is a felony, so there are some very serious charges for the person or people who are calling in these threats,” he said.

While Petrick can’t over any further details on the threats and what has made catching the culprit so difficult for police, he said that the department is focused on doing just that.

“We do take them very seriously and we are using our resources to work on this investigation and closing it out,” he said.