Police and security personnel found no evidence of a bomb after a bomb threat was called in to a pay phone at First Student Transportation this morning.
“Someone called the pay phone at the business and said that there is a bomb in the building that’s going to go off in a couple minutes,” said Columbia police Sgt. Lloyd Simons.
The employee that picked up the ringing pay phone around 8 a.m. told police it was an adult voice, Simons said. The pay phone at First Student Transportation, 3511 Clark Lane, was used frequently by the employees, Simons said.
“It’s odd that they would call the pay phone,” Simons said. “It leads us to believe that they may be associated with the business.”
Lynn Barnett, assistant superintendent of the Columbia Public School District, said there is no transportation being provided now because summer school is over. But in the fall, she said they will continue using First Student Transportation.
In June, a gun was found in a First Student Transportation bus. Police have not found a connection between the two incidents.
“Obviously we take any threat very seriously. Columbia police investigated today and gave us the all clear,” said Jennifer Robinson, the public relations director for First Student Inc. “However, because of the serious nature associated with this threat, our security team is working closely with police in their investigation into who may be behind this.”