CRIME

Utah Among Many States To Get Fake Email Bomb Threats

Dec 13, 2018, 6:56 PM | Updated: 9:29 pm

SOUTH SALT LAKE – Dozens of emailed bomb threats that made the rounds in Utah businesses and government buildings appeared to be the same threats that were circulated around the rest of the United States.

Bruce Hagen started the workday Thursday much like any other, at least until around 11:30 a.m., when he got an unusual email.

“You just knew it was a hoax, but you felt like you should at least alert everybody to it, and give them a choice,” Hagen said.

Hagen, who works as president of Western Automatic Sprinkler, said the email claimed that a bomb had been placed in the building by a mercenary.

Western Automatic Sprinkler in South Salt Lake, one of many businesses across the US that got emailed bomb threats.

“They said they had people across the street, watching to see if police came or anybody left the building,” Hagen explained. “If you didn’t pay him $20,000 by the end of the day, they would detonate the bomb.”

Rather than send the payment, via bitcoin, as the email instructs, Hagen alerted his co-workers and called police.

“There were some minor disruptions,” Hagen said. “We had some (people) leave and take an early lunch until we got the police over here to look at it.”

The email Hagen received was similar to one police investigated in Park City around the same time. The email showed up at a business that happened to be near the public school, and some government buildings, according to Captain Phil Kirk with the Park City Police Department.

“They did go into a lock-out mode where they didn’t allow anybody in or out of the schools for a period of time until we could secure the buildings,” said Captain Kirk.

A testing center at Dixie State University in St. George was also evacuated, while officers and K-9 units investigated another threat there.

Hagen said while he never expected that the threat was credible, he felt it was important to call police.

“It wasn’t something we took real serious,” he said. “You still kind of had to give it some due diligence and pay attention to it, but (we) were never really worried.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Crime

Photo of crash scene...

Pat Reavy

Man taking family camping near Utah Lake hit and killed; driver criminally charged

The driver of a pickup truck who police say hit and killed a man while on a dirt road in Utah County on Friday night is now facing criminal charges.

11 months ago

(Salt Lake City Police Department)...

Madison Swenson

UPDATE: Suspect arrested for shooting two people at SLC park

Two people were injured Monday night following a shooting at 17th South River Park in Salt Lake City.

11 months ago

Larry Woodcock speaks to a crowd of media cameras and microphones...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Victim’s grandfather says evidence ‘unequivocal’ in Lori Vallow Daybell trial

As Lori Vallow Daybell entered the fifth week of her trial facing charges of first-degree murder, a victim's grandfather, Larry Woodcock, said the documentation in the case is "unequivocal."

11 months ago

Tammy Daybell...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Utah’s ME testifies Tammy Daybell was restrained in hours around her killing

Utah's chief medical examiner testified in Idaho today that Tammy Daybell was restrained around the time of her death and was killed by asphyxiation in late 2019.

11 months ago

FILE - Lori Vallow Daybell, appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The only s...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Lori Vallow Daybell’s DNA used as evidence for first time in her murder trial

For the first time, Lori Vallow Daybell's DNA has been entered as evidence into her murder trial. A hair found attached to adhesive that is understood — but not clearly stated in court — to be part of the layers of tape found with her son JJ Vallow's body was tested and found to be a match for her.

11 months ago

FILE: Salt Lake City Police...

Michael Houck

Man arrested after armed standoff at a Salt Lake resource center

A man was taken into custody for refusing to give up his firearm at a resource center, causing it to evacuate residents Friday night.

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

Utah Among Many States To Get Fake Email Bomb Threats