Arrest Made in Wal-Mart Bomb Hoax

Virgil Hunt

Virgil Hunt, 32, of Lamar, was arrested for the December 1^st, false bomb threat for the local Wal-Mart store, according to interim Lamar Police Chief, Kyle Miller.

Miller said the arrest was made on December 8 and Hunt is being held in the Prowers County Jail on $6,000 bond.  He is being charged with false reporting of an explosive device and two counts of false reporting.   The false report of an explosive is listed as a class 6 felony and the false calls are class 3 misdemeanors.  Officers were able to track the cellular phone used in the bomb threat calls.

Lamar Fire/Ambulance Response Vehicle

Miller said he expects Hunt to be held financially responsible for the city’s response to the bomb threat during which the city’s fire and ambulance and police department personnel responded for several hours, clearing the store of shoppers and staff and conducting a sweep of the facilities.  Miller did not state if the Wal-Mart Corporation would take any legal action for lost business against Hunt.

Trish McGee, Assistant Manager at the Lamar Wal-Mart, told The Prowers Journal, she would contact corporate headquarters to determine what the legal options were regarding Hunt’s arrest.

By Russ Baldwin

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