Phoned in bomb threat closes Coldwater Walmart, others reported in Detroit area

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

COLDWATER — Law enforcement and Walmart staff cleared the Coldwater Walmart store shortly after noon Monday, Feb. 6, after a bomb threat was called in.

Coldwater Police also cleared the parking lot just off U.S. 12 and Willowbrook Road.

Police cleared both the Coldwater Walmart store and parking lot after a phoned in bomb threat Monday at noon.
Police cleared both the Coldwater Walmart store and parking lot after a phoned in bomb threat Monday at noon.

Michigan State Police brought in a bomb-sniffing dog, which searched the store with other personnel.

Barricades were erected to keep the lot closed while the search continued.

Coldwater Police, Branch County Sheriff deputies, and Michigan State Police wait while a bomb-sniffing dog and personnel search the Coldwater Walmart.
Coldwater Police, Branch County Sheriff deputies, and Michigan State Police wait while a bomb-sniffing dog and personnel search the Coldwater Walmart.

Police would not release other details except to say an employee took the call. Coldwater Director of Public Safety Joe Scheid said he did not know why Coldwater received the call among others across several states. Calls came in in Denton, Texas, Marietta, Ga., and in western Pennsylvania around the same time.

Several other threats against Walmart stores were made in the metro Detroit region, which could be connected to a larger effort against the retail chain, according to authorities.

Two stores in Oakland County and another in Wayne County received bomb threats Monday, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Stores in White Lake Township and Rochester Hills were evacuated and searched for explosives Monday morning following phone calls threatening to blow up the stores unless a cash ransom was delivered, according to authorities.

"We've seen similar things happen in different parts of the country," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard in a statement. "In other threats, they were not credible. But out of an abundance of caution, explosive-detection dogs were sent to check the stores."

Scheid said all the Coldwater information would be sent to a federal "fusion center" to coordinate investigation of the multiple threats.

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In Coldwater police cleared the store at 3 p.m. for employees to return. The first hour was used to clean up aisles. Customers were told to leave carts and immediately leave. Employees went back in and restocked items from the carts. Customers returned at 4 p.m.

All refrigerated or frozen items were "wasted," placed in dumpster, because they could not reshelved under health department guidelines and company policy.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Phoned in bomb threat closes Coldwater Walmart, no one hurt