Another bomb threat closes downtown

Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Police sealed off downtown last Thursday due to the second bomb threat at a business there in two weeks.

Downtown Mountain Home was sealed off for just under two hours last Thursday afternoon after a bomb threat was received at the Idaho Youth Ranch.

The incident occurred almost exactly two weeks after a similar threat had been received at another thrift store in town, the Salvation Army.

In both cases the threat had been made in a letter sent to the stores, and police said the handwriting and nature of the threats were similar. In addition to the bomb threats, the letters contained other threats as well, but police were withholding details of the other threats while they continued their investigation.

Police blocked off the entire downtown area and evacuated all nearby buildings in the block while they waited for the bomb-sniffing dog teams from Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit on base to arrive. No bombs were found and a little more than 90 minutes after the area had been sealed off police reopened it, at about 3:30 p.m., to regular traffic.

Anyone having information concerning the incident, or the one earlier at the Salvation Army, is being asked to contact Det. Jeff Rhodes with the Mountain Home Police Department at 587-2101.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were notified in both cases. The investigation is continuing.

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