BELLA VISTA -- A scam turned into a bomb scare at the Bella Vista Police Department on Thursday morning.
A Bella Vista resident walked into the lobby at 10:15 a.m. carrying a black briefcase. The man told the receptionist he thought he might have been scammed, Police Chief Ken Farmer said. Patrol officer Justin Green was interviewing the man when he said the briefcase might contain a bomb.
The staff evacuated the building and called the Bentonville Bomb Squad.
Bentonville police officer Ryan Simmons -- donning a heavy, dark green bomb suit -- carried pieces of a portable X-ray machine into the building. The first X-rays showed nothing dangerous in the briefcase, so Simmons used a screwdriver to pry open the locks.
Inside were stacks of newspapers. The June 22 issue of the Jewish Journal of south Florida was on top, according to detective Barb Shrum.
The Police Department side of the building was immediately evacuated, except for dispatch. The adjoining Fire Department was evacuated later, followed by City Hall. All three are housed in the same building, with police on one end, fire in the middle, and City Hall on the other end.
"When the bomb squad arrived and started messing with it, we thought it was best to not be in dispatch," Farmer said. Benton County Central Communications handled 911 calls. Cencom relayed information to dispatchers -- who stood in front of City Hall equipped with cell phones -- who used radios to communicate with officers.
The scam, Farmer said, involved the man being told he'd won a large sum of money, but he needed to send payment for it. So he did. The package arrived, then the victim was contacted and told to send more money to get the combination to the briefcase. He was warned the briefcase was booby trapped, so if it was forced open it would explode.
That's when he took the briefcase to the police station.
Farmer said a better response would be to leave the possible booby trap where it is and call 911. Not only does that reduce the possibility of a real bomb going off while being driven somewhere, it also keeps from disrupting operations of city government.
Farmer, who's been in law enforcement in Bella Vista for more than 30 years, said he couldn't recall a bomb scare at the station. There have been scares and threats at businesses.
"Years ago, back during the anthrax scares, we had someone walk into the old police station on Huntley Lane, say they'd gotten a letter with white powder in it, then pushed the envelope through the slot into dispatch," Farmer said. "Things were pretty tense there for a little bit." The powder was harmless.
Farmer said people always should be aware of offers that seem too good to be true.
"It's against the law for anyone to demand payment to claim a prize. That's an immediate red flag," he said. "If you're thinking it might be scam, don't send money. Give us a call."
NW News on 07/15/2016