Richmond PD labels 911 call about hostages, bomb threat a hoax

RICHMOND, Ind. (WISH) — An anonymous call from a man who claimed to have taken his wife hostage and was heading to a local school with a bomb caused a few Wayne County schools to go on alert Monday morning.

A social media post from the Richmond Police Department indicated that at 8:27 a.m., the caller provided “vague” information involving Northeastern School Corporation and Richmond Community Schools. As a precaution, all schools were placed on “secure school status” while officers conducted their investigation.

In a release Monday afternoon, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office stated that the caller had threatened to “kill everyone” and was reportedly heading to Northeastern Wayne Schools with a bomb. After a thorough and swift response, police later determined that there was no credible threat

Chief Kyle Weatherly said in the social media post, “This type of behavior is not only reckless but dangerous, creating unnecessary fear and disruption within our community. We will not tolerate such actions, and the Richmond Police Department will conduct a full investigation. When the responsible parties are identified, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

While all immediate concerns have been resolved, the investigation is still ongoing while police continue to follow up on potential leads.

Anyone with information regarding this incident, contact the Richmond Police Department at 765-983-7247.