IMU bomb threat forces evacuation of bowling alley

Two anonymous phone calls concerning a bomb threat prompted a speedy response by the IU Police Department Wednesday morning. The first call was at 9:09 am, and IUPD response plans were underway by the time the second phone call came in at 9:19 a.m. \nThe caller claimed a bomb, which would detonate within 30 minutes, had been left in the west end of the Indiana Memorial Union, near the bowling alley.\nThe phone calls went though the IU call center, who then alerted the IUPD. After receiving notification of a possible explosive device, IUPD officers swiftly called IMU assistant building manager Tom Simmons. Simmons evaluated the situation and chose to notify students and patrons in the bowling alley about the threat. \n"We took it seriously, but we didn't immediately get everybody out of the area," said Simmons. "That's not the first bomb threat we've received."\nTim Robben, Back Alley manager and bowling instructor, forced the students in his bowling class to evacuate.\n"I took the information from the IUPD seriously and followed the evacuation procedures," Robben said. "I made my students leave the area and follow the instructions given by the IUPD."\nFor almost an hour, six IUPD officers, accompanied by members of the IMU building staff, scoured the area for suspicious packages or Union property that might have been tampered with. Search members explored the area around and below the bowling alley for signs of an explosive device.\n"The IMU employees were there to help us and say if anything was off or unusual," said Lieutenant Jerry Minger of the IUPD. "We made sure to go around with employees who were familiar with the location since the officers might not notice if something was wrong or out of place."\nBy the time the walkthroughs were completed, the time limit given by the caller had expired. Although no bomb was found, the IUPD will maintain an active investigation into the case with the help of the Bloomington Police Department. \nAlready with several leads regarding the identity of the caller, investigators say the suspect's voice sounded like a middle-aged woman. The department also has leads on where the calls originated, Minger said. \nIn Indiana, calling in a bomb threat will usually result in a charge of false informing, a class D felony. Under standard sentencing, the charge can carry a penalty up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.\nWednesday's incident was not the first time a bomb threat had been called in to the IUPD, Minger said. In the past, threats have normally been made during finals weeks from students hoping to get out of a final. These threats have been aimed at larger campus buildings, such as Woodburn and Ballantine, which house larger rooms and lecture halls.