A 39-year-old man was arrested twice Monday, once for alleged public intoxication at Wheeler Mission and again for reported intimidation after calling a bomb threat into IU Health Bloomington while he was awaiting transfer to Monroe County Correctional Center.
Bloomington Police Department Capt. Ryan Pedigo said officers were dispatched to Wheeler Mission onMonday morning because a drunk man was yelling at people. When officers arrived, Luke Baer, who smelled like alcohol, was lying in the corner of a room and couldn’t stand without assistance.
Pedigo said a Wheeler Mission employee requested officers remove Baer and tell him to not return for seven days. If he does, he could be charged for trespassing.
Baer told police he was going to wait on the curb for a ride from a family member. A Wheeler Mission employee called police again, saying Baer hadn’t left and was still being disruptive.
Pedigo said officers returned to Wheeler Mission to remove Baer, and he lied down in the middle of the sidewalk and pretended to sleep.
He was then arrested for public intoxication and taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital to await clearance for a transfer, Pedigo said.
Once at the hospital, Pedigo said Baer asked an officer for permission to use his cellphone to call his brother and let him know of his arrest. The officer allowed Baer make a personal call on his phone.
The officer heard Baer make the call and then exited the room to stand in the hallway. While in the hallway, another officer told the first officer a bomb threat was called into the hospital.
Pedigo said IU Health Bloomington Hospital security officers were able to use caller ID to give police the phone number the threat came from. BPD ran the number and discovered it was registered to a woman whose last name was also Baer.
Pedigo said the phone was registered to a female relative of Baer, but it was the phone Baer had Monday.
The head of hospital security redialed the phone number, and Baer's phone began to ring while in police custody. Police later listened to an audio recording of the threatening phone call and identified the speaker as Baer.
