|
|
| Fake Bomb Found in Penn. County Prison |
| By Danville News |
| Published: 10/25/2002 |
|
A shoe box-sized device packaged to look like a pipe bomb was found inside the Northumberland County Prison yard on Wednesday, prompting officials to consider evacuating the building's 175 inmates. The U.S. Army's explosive ordinance demolition team from Indiantown Gap arrived at about 9 a.m. to examine the device and determined it was a fake, Prison Warden Patrick Keppler, of Riverside, said. It took the two-man team about 20 minutes to examine and X-ray the package, Sunbury City Police Chief Rick Longenberger said. 'They actually said it was a good rendition of a bomb,' he said. 'It looked like a bomb. There were wires sticking out of it.' Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony Rosini said an investigation is being conducted by county investigator Gabe Demarco to determine who planted it and why. No phone calls or threats were received by authorities prior to the package being discovered, Rosini said. Sunbury City Police received a call at about 5:15 a.m. from prison officials reporting a suspicious device inside the wall of the prison yard. It wasn't immediately known whether it was thrown over the 25-foot high wall from North Second Street or brought to the yard from inside the prison. The package was apparently placed on the ground inside the recreation area sometime between 10:15 p.m. Tuesday and a little after 5 a.m. Wednesday, Longenberger said, outlining the hours when prison staff checked on the yard. 'We have no idea right now what the reasoning was. Possibly an attempted escape or someone trying to alarm us to see how our emergency plan works, we don't know,' Keppler said. Inmates in the left wing of the jail were immediately moved to the basement and the prison was placed in a lockdown as a precaution, he said. Officials at the State Correctional Institution at Coal Township prepared buses to transport the prisoners there in the event of an evacuation. Keppler said the inmates 'cooperated very well.' Correction officers planned to inspect every cell in an attempt to uncover information about the fake bomb threat, he said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think