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Centerville police responded to a bomb threat at Dick's Market this afternoon. They found string cheese wrapped in Duct Tape to resemble a bomb. Now police are looking for the person who put it there and then called 911 from the grocery store.
Investigators say they have suspects, but they haven't made any arrests. And while string cheese may sound kind of funny, police were concerned. Just two weeks a pipe bomb went off in the north end of the city, sending debris 200 feet.
Brett Steinicke was going to Dick's Market on 350 E. Page Lane to pick up a birthday cake. But when he arrived at the store, he saw bomb-sniffing dogs being led into the store and police cars and fire engines on standby.
Sgt. Niles Bartleson, with the Centerville Police Department, says "We got a call from a male, called 911 and said, ‘There's a bomb at Dick's Market' and hung up."
Right about that time, an employee filling the dry ice machine came across a metal cylinder wrapped in Duct Tape. The store and nearby businesses were immediately evacuated. "Obviously, we're going to take this real serious," Bartleson says.
A bomb specialist was brought in from Weber County to inspect that package. Bartleson says, "We found string cheese wrapped in Duct Tape." He says they were very surprised.
A sweep of the store turned up nothing. Shoppers and employees were allowed back in two hours later. Steinicke said, "It's kinda upsetting. It's going to interrupt your day and make it take a lot longer to celebrate this party."
Police say it's costly as well. They say the extra manpower will cost thousands of dollars. Lost revenue to the businesses has yet to be calculated. "It's a huge impact, and they don't realize that," Bartleson says. "But if we're able to locate who it is, I'm sure they'll have a good understanding."
The person, or people, involved could potentially face felony charges for the scare. Police say they're reviewing surveillance tape to see who placed the package in the dry ice machine.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
