Purdue News

September 19, 2001 Bomb threat forces evacuation of five buildings, one reopened WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two early morning bomb threats today (Wednesday, 9/19) forced the evacuation of five Purdue University buildings and required officials to move classes to other facilities. Stone Hall, the building involved in the second threat, was reopened after a police search of the facility. The first bomb threat was phoned to the Indiana State Police post in Battle Ground at 5:30 a.m. today. The anonymous male caller told police there were bombs in the Tippecanoe County Courthouse and the Psychological Sciences Building on the Purdue University campus, said Joseph L. Bennett, vice president for university relations. Police closed four campus buildings – Psychological Sciences, the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Pierce Hall and Stanley Coulter Hall – while a search was conducted by Tippecanoe County canine units. The additional buildings were closed because of their proximity to the Psychological Sciences Building. A second bomb threat was phoned in to Purdue Police at 8:40 a.m. The caller claimed there was a bomb in Stone Hall. The building was evacuated and searched, and shortly after 10 a.m. it was reopened. Bennett said classes scheduled for the four academic buildings involved in the first threat were being moved to other campus locations. Police officers located outside the closed buildings will have revised schedules for students, and the schedules will be posted on the Web, he said. Also, the bomb threat forced Counseling and Psychological Services to close its office in the Psychological Sciences Building. The second location, in the Student Health Center remains open. Those seeking counseling services or who had appointments in the Psychological Sciences Building should call (765) 494-1707. "We continue to take these threats very seriously," Bennett said. "Not only are these anonymous callers engendering a sense of fear, but also they are forcing the campus and the community to expend valuable resources and cheating those who are on this campus to pursue their education." Last week, the university announced it would offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved with bomb threats on campus. Those with information are asked to contact Purdue police at (765) 494-8221. Making a bomb threat is a Class D felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Source: Joseph L. Bennett, (765) 494-2085 Writer: Brian Zink, (765) 494-2080, bzink@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page