Beatrice Police have arrested a 28 year old employee of the local Wal-Mart store, in alleged connection with a bomb threat at the retailer, this past Sunday.
Authorities have booked Ben Montoya on suspicion of making a terroristic threat. Police investigator Jennifer Klaus says Montoya is allegedly the person who reported the threat to store management, and is suspected of being the one who placed the call.
The Wal-Mart store was evacuated for about three hours Sunday afternoon, after authorities said a bomb threat was phoned into the store at about 2:15 pm. Police, the Nebraska State Patrol and their bomb-sniffing dog searched the store, but found no explosive. Business resumed at about 5:00 pm.
Police say 980-dollars in perishable items were lost, because they were abandoned in shopping carts when the store was evacuated
Klaus says Montoya’s answers to police didn’t add up. The information provided to police, Klaus says, did not accurately describe how the phone system worked. Authorities also spoke with the phone company about the call.