The Walmart Supercenter in west Starkville is clear and open again after a bomb threat closed it for more than three hours Tuesday evening.
Starkville Police Department received a report about the threat at 4:51 p.m. Police Chief Frank Nichols said a customer found a note in the store that said a bomb was in the building and would be detonated in a specific time. While Nichols declined to release the time the note specified, he said police cleared the building and waited until after the specified time to begin a search.
“We don’t take this as a joke when we get a call like this, so we secured the scene,” Nichols said. “Once we’ve secured the scene, we go in and search the building. With there being a time notification on that note, we decided to wait outside of that time. That’s why it may have seemed like we were there for a long time. But we weren’t going to go in before the time. We weren’t going to let it open back up for business when there could have been a bomb inside of the store.”
Walmart employees gathered at the BankFirst east of Walmart. While they could not comment on record without clearance from Walmart corporate communications, a store employee told the Dispatch a female found the note in a bathroom.
Nichols said police do not believe the threat is tied to any particular group.
Police used bomb dogs, from Mississippi State University Police Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol and Columbus Air Force Base, to search the store.
“It’s unfortunate for Walmart and the customers for this business to close for what we believe to be a prank that someone was playing,” Nichols said. “…During our investigation, we searched the store and there was nothing found that resembles a bomb, or a bomb, or any bomb-making materials.”
Police gave the all-clear at about 8 p.m. and the store reopened shortly after.
The case remains under active investigation and Nichols said SPD will pursue charges if a suspect is caught.
“If we find out who did it, someone will face charges for this,” he said.
According to Mississippi Code Section 97-37-21, making a false bomb threat is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Nichols said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted in the investigation.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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