2 juveniles ID’d as suspects in Monroe airport bomb threat that grounded planes
Two juvenile suspects were identified on Thursday for making a bomb threat that shut down the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport for hours Wednesday evening.
After airport officials received a phone call stating that there were explosives in the airport, police evacuated the airport and the Federal Aviation Administration stopped all air traffic, according to a news release by the Monroe Police Department.
The airport was closed around 4 p.m. but reopened before midnight, arrivals records showed.
The bomb threat was false and police are seeking to press charges against the juveniles from Harnett County who they believe made the call, according to police.
The public was asked to avoid the area Wednesday, according to the Monroe Police Department.
Airport personnel were evacuated to a nearby Airbnb, according to Patricia Wilfong who owns the property with her husband. Airport officials called her asking if people — both workers and flyers — could use the home as a “safe haven,” she said.
”The property is vacant, so of course if people need a place to go we’re happy to open the doors and let them stay there,” she said. She wasn’t sure how many people were there Wednesday afternoon.
“We cannot overstate the importance of cooperation among all law enforcement agencies to investigate serious incidents like this one. We were able to swiftly and seamlessly bring this situation to a safe and peaceful conclusion thanks to the efforts of our officers and the assistance of these cooperating agencies,” said Monroe Police Chief J. Bryan Gilliard in a statement Thursday.
About Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport
The Monroe airport was built in 1969, and has continually expanded since then. In 2006, the city took over management of the airport from Landmark Aviation of Winston-Salem to make it more cost competitive and to emphasize it as an economic development asset.
The airport also is the home of the annual Warbirds Over Monroe air show, a popular exhibition in November each year involving military aircraft dating to World War II. And, it hosted the Wells Fargo Golf Tournament earlier this month.
The airport does not handle commercial aviation. But Monroe has long been home to a cluster of aerospace companies, and has touted the airport as a selling point for them to use as a base for their jets. Charter companies also operate from the airport.
Observer editor Adam Bell contributed to this report.
