Bomb threat

A man called in a bomb threat Feb. 10. He told an employee at the State Hospital in Provo that he planned to detonate 40 bombs that he’d planted in the clinics at U Hospital at 2:30 p.m. that day. The employee called U Hospital security, who then notified police.

According to Detective Mike McPharlin from U Police, officers believed the call was bogus because of the extremely high number of alleged bombs, but followed protocol just in case. Plainclothes officers investigated the area in and around the hospital looking for any type of suspicious activity and trying to avoid what McPharlin called “a panic situation.”

The officers were soon notified by the Provo Police that a suspect was in their custody. The man had been arrested on unrelated charges, but confessed to calling in the threat and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

McPharlin said his department receives six to seven calls per year similar to this one, and said there are “very explicit guidelines” for security personnel to follow when dealing with the threats. Although not all threats are aimed at the hospital, McPharlin said it “is not an uncommon area” to receive threats.

Law student booked into jail

A woman in Utah County called U Police to report her ex-husband would not return her children after his weekend visitation time had expired. The ex-husband, who is a law student at the U and a resident of University Village, told police his children were “living in squalor” with his ex wife and that he wanted to have a hearing with a judge immediately.

The 37-year-old man claimed there was heat in only one room of his ex-wife’s house. The officers, after learning the man has visitation rights only every other weekend, explained to him that if he didn’t return the children, he would be arrested. The police also learned that the Department of Child and Family Services had already investigated the children’s living situation and had found no basis for the man’s complaints.

According to reports, the man did not comply even after receiving the information. Police arrested the man and booked him into jail on one Class A misdemeanor charge of custodial interference. The children, a 9-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, were returned to their mother.

Will you be my Valentine?

A female student living in student housing called police to report she was being harassed by a male neighbor. She told police a friend had introduced her to the man, with whom she’d exchanged phone numbers.

Allegedly, the man began calling her and leaving numerous voice messages, knocking on her bedroom window at night and showing up at her gym while she was exercising. The woman told police she never had a romantic relationship with the man and couldn’t understand why he was harassing her.

The morning police were called, the man had already called her four times and left messages asking, “Why won’t you talk to me?” Police warned the man against the behavior.

Priceless: sorority photos

After a student returned to his room in student housing, he noticed his roommate had numerous pictures of women from a sorority in his possession. The pictures, taken more than 20 years ago, were of former sorority members, and according to McPharlin, “priceless in terms that they can’t be replaced.”

The roommate called police, who then notified the current members of the sorority. Police reports indicate the sorority members didn’t realize the photos were missing. They had hosted a party during which the intoxicated suspect allegedly made off with the pictures.

The student was located, but he claims the photos are no longer in his possession and won’t give police the name of the person who has them. Allegedly, the student hid the photos in the trunk of his friend’s car and doesn’t want to implicate the friend.

Compiled by Cara Wieser