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Sam Penrod Reporting A bomb threat sent Utah Valley Regional Medical Center into lockdown tonight, as police searched the hospital for a bomb.
"Provo police received a phone call from a male individual who said he had placed explosives in the hospital."
That threat came in just before 6:00 tonight, and for the next two and a half hours the hospital was in lockdown.
We've heard that police are questioning a possible suspect about making the threat. The call was made to 911 dispatchers, not the hospital, so it should be easy for detectives to determine where the call came from.
The caller told dispatchers about a specific threat that explosives were in the hospital and would go off in a certain amount of time.
That immediately sent the hospital into lockdown status, meaning no one could come in. That made it easier for officers using bomb-sniffing dogs and search equipment to look for anything suspicious.
The situation never got to the point where any patients were moved out of their rooms or evacuated from the hospital.
After the bomb squad searched the hospital, the all clear was given. That was around 8:15.
The biggest disruption seemed to be for people who were trying to visit friends or family members who are patients in the hospital.
Janet Frank, Hospital Spokesperson: "It is scary. You are a loved one who for some reason can't get into the hospital, and you don't really know why. So we really appreciate people who were understanding when we asked them to wait, maybe wait in their car or come back later."
The hospital did keep the Emergency Room open during the lockdown, so no patients were ever turned away.
As for the possible suspect, he could face serious charges, especially because a threat like this to a hospital could put people's lives in danger.
Again we are hearing a man is being questioned, but no one from the Provo Police Department is returning our calls, so we can't confirm that right now.
We do know the situation at the hospital is over and everything is back to normal.
