The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

UA police make arrest on Thursday's bomb threat

“For the second time in two days, the University of Akron received a bomb threat regarding campus buildings. But unlike Wednesday, UA police has already arrested a suspect believed to send Thursday’s threat. John D. Ford, 27 and a resident of Akron, was taken into custody by UA police mid-afternoon and was charged with inducing panic and making a false alarm, a third and fourth degree felony, respectively.”

For the second time in two days, the University of Akron received a bomb threat regarding campus buildings.

But unlike Wednesday, UA police has already arrested a suspect believed to send Thursday’s threat.

Jason D. Ford, 27 and a resident of Akron, was taken into custody by UA police mid-afternoon and was charged with inducing panic and making a false alarm, a third and fourth degree felony, respectively.

Story continues below advertisement

The threat was sent Tuesday night at 10 p.m. to the student radio station WZIP-FM but was not discovered until 8 a.m. the following morning. Once it was discovered, Kolbe Hall, the site of the station was evacuated.

According to University of Akron police chief Paul Callahan, the message stated that a bomb was in the building and would detonate within a couple of hours. Callahan said there was no way to access the account but since nothing happened in the 10 hours between the time it was sent and the time it was accessed, there was no reason to think anything would happen in the morning.

The building was vacated at approximately 9 a.m. Bomb-sweeping dogs were sent in but no device was found. The building was reopened just after noon and classes resumed at 3 p.m.

You can run the whole gamut on why someone would do this, Callahan said. Maybe they have a beef with society or the university. There is really no way to tell.

A threat was e-mailed Wednesday to a secretary in the Auburn Science and Engineering Center but no explosive device was found. Ford was not charged with making Wednesday’s threat.

The university is working with the FBI and Homeland Security to track down the origin of the e-mail.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of The University of Akron. Your contribution will allow us to keep printing our magazine edition, purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All comments that are well-informed, civil and relevant to the story are welcome. To leave a comment, please provide your name and email address. The Editorial Board reserves to right to remove any comment that is submitted under false pretenses or includes personal attacks, libel, hate speech, profanity, spam or inaccurate/misleading information. All comments are screened and are generally approved unless they are found to be found in violation of these standards. Readers who notice comments that appear to violate these standards are encouraged to contact the Online Editor at [email protected].
All The Buchtelite Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *