A spoof bomb threat was called in to several local entities on Friday, May 3.
Around 6 a.m., a bomb threat was called in to Wood County Juvenile Detention Center. Bowling Green Police responded and the building was evacuated. Officers checked the perimeter and did not locate anything suspicious.
The director of the detention center said the call was from a male, who gave the name “Jose Martinez,” and told staff he was going to put them in a “body bag.” The caller said he was trying to break out a friend in the juvenile detention center. He reportedly said, “if he is still there you better send him out – no cops no nothing.” The caller stated he has been watching the facility for two weeks.
Staff at the facility advised they did not have anyone at the center with the name mentioned by the caller. Staff said the caller sounded young, like a teenager.
While at the detention center, BG Police learned that Perrysburg Township Police Department had been dispatched to a house on Georgia Road for a similar call.
Back at the station, police searched the phone number of the caller, and discovered it came back to a residence in Muleshoe, Texas. BGPD contacted Perrysburg Township Police, who said their call came from the same number, with the caller giving the same names.
The caller stated he had the house lined with explosives and that he had been watching law enforcement. A township officer said no explosives were located in the area.
Northwood Police Department and Owens Community College received the same calls as well – all linking back to the Texas address. An officer contacted the Muleshoe Police Department in Texas, where police said they knew the couple who lived at the residence and stated they didn’t believe them capable of the bomb threats. The police believed the number was probably “spoofed.”
The FBI was contacted to investigate.
