6th Kroger evacuated after another bomb threat; scene since cleared

FOR US TONIGHT ON THIS COVERAGE. LINDSAY, TELL US ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON THAT HAD EVERYONE ON HIGH ALERT TODAY. WELL, CURTIS, I WANT TO FIRST TELL YOU, I’M HERE AT THE NEWPORT PAVILLION, KROGER, AND AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME, IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL. BUT JUST A FEW HOURS AGO, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATION. THIS BUILDING WAS EVACUATED BECAUSE OF A BOMB THREAT. MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS WERE RESPONDING HERE, AND THAT CERTAINLY WAS THE CASE, NOT JUST HERE, BUT AT DIFFERENT KROGER THROUGHOUT GREATER CINCINNATI. IN FACT, AT ONE OF THOSE KROGER’S, THAT’S WHERE WE FIND A TEEN WHO SURVIVES RACHEL, HER TIME, SHE’S LIVE FOR US TONIGHT. AND OAKLEY BREAKING DOWN THE DETAILS FOR US. RACHEL, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US? WELL, LINDSAY, THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY HECTIC DAY FOR POLICE WORKERS AND SHOPPERS AT DIFFERENT KROGER’S ACROSS OUR REGION. FIVE A KROGER’S WERE IMPACTED, INCLUDING THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IN OAKLEY STATION. BUT EVERYTHING IS SAFE AFTER THE REPORTED BOMB THREATS. WE WANT TO SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF WHAT THE SCENE LOOKED LIKE AT A KROGER IN BELLEVUE, TWO THAT IS A CANINE GOING THROUGH. I’LL BUY I’LL TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS SAFE AT THAT. KROGER IN BELLEVUE. KROGER IN NEWPORT, BELLEVUE, OAKLEY, COLD SPRING AND ERLANGER WERE ALL EVACUATED EARLIER TODAY. CUSTOMER AND EMPLOYEES WERE TOLD TO LEAVE AND WAIT OUTSIDE UNTIL POLICE SWEPT THE STORES BECAUSE OF A POTENTIAL BOMB THREAT IN OAKLEY. ACCORDING TO CPD, A CALL WAS MADE AROUND 1230 THIS AFTERNOON REGARDING A THREAT AT THE KROGER ON MARBURG AVENUE. IT WAS SIMILAR TO THE CALLS MADE OF HER STORES IN KENTUCKY. NOW, THIS IS WHAT SHOPPERS IN NEWPORT TOLD US WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WERE TOLD TO EVACUATE. IT WAS UNDER CONTROL. SHOCK, I GUESS. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT’S NEVER HAPPENED TO ME, YOU KNOW, BEING EVACUATED FROM A BUILDING LIKE THAT BEFORE. SO, I MEAN, EVERYBODY JUST WALKED OUT CALMLY. NOW, THE SCENE HERE IS EXTREMELY CALM. IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL. NOW, THIS LATE IN THE DAY AFTER ALL OF THIS UNFOLDED. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE FBI IS INVOLVED TRYING TO INVESTIGATE WHO CAUSED TODAY’S CHAOS. WE’RE LIVE TONIGHT IN OAKLAND, RACHEL HORKHEIMER, WLWT NEWS FIVE. AND, RACHEL, AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU AREN’T OAKLEY FOR US TONIGHT. WE SAW THIS HAPPENING ALL OVER GREATER CINCINNATI. BUT IN SOME OF THOSE SMALLER CITIES, HOW DO THEY GET THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO RESPOND? WELL, LINDSAY, THEY HAVE TO ASK FOR HELP. IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. LIKE IN BELLEVUE, FOR INSTANCE, THEY HAD TO ASK FOR CPD TO GET INVOLVED IN, USE THEIR K-9 UNIT, AS WELL AS AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITIES, K-9 UNIT. THEY ALL WENT TO BELLEVUE TO TRY TO HELP THEM OUT. SO THESE SMALLER CITIES THAT WE’RE DEALING WITH, THEY’RE NOT BIG ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH THIS ON THEIR OWN. SO ALL OF THEM HAD TO ASK FOR HELP. LINDSAY. ALL RIGHT, RACHEL, AGAIN, REPORTING FOR US LIVE IN OAKLEY. RACHEL, THANK YOU. WE KNOW THIS IS A REALLY BIG STRAIN ON A CITY’S POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE RESPONSE THAT SHE’S TALKING ABOUT, IT’S ALSO A STRAIN ON OTHER CITY RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY IT’S BANK ACCOUNT. NOW, WE SPOKE TO BELLEVUE’S MAYOR EARLIER THIS EVENING ABOUT JUST WHAT IT MEANS FOR RESPONSE, LIKE WHAT WE SAW FOR SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T EVEN END UP BEING CREDIBLE. YOU HAVE TO DEPLOY ALL OF OUR PEOPLE DOWN THERE, WHICH WE DID. AND IF SOMETHING ELSE CATASTROPHIC WOULD HAPPEN OR JUST SOMEBODY NEEDING THE AMBULANCE CENTER ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE CITY. AND NOW WE PUT OUR RESOURCE ASSISTED A CENTRALIZED IN OUR TWO CITIES, WE PUT THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE END BECAUSE KROGER’S IS AT THE CENTER OF THE WHOLE OUTFIT, YOU KNOW, SO THEY CAN REALLY HURT SOMEBODY IF THEY NEED IT. AND AMBULANCE OR THEY HAD A HEART ATTACK OR SOMETHING IMPORTANT. AND WE’VE GOT ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT ON A HOAX. NOW, AS WE MENTIONED, OFFICERS TELLING US THEY THINK THIS IS ALL PART OF A NATIONWIDE HOAX THAT’S BEEN GOING ON AT STORES ALL THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN RECENT MONTHS. AND IN A STATE THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, A KROGER SPORTS PERSON TELLS US AND TELLS ABOUT THE NEWS FIVE QUOTE, THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF OUR ASSOCIATES AND CUSTOMERS ARE OUR TOP PRIORITY. WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE FBI TO INVESTIGATE SIMILAR THREATS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AROUND THE COUNTRY AT MANY RETAIL STORES NOW. RIGHT NOW, AS I MENTIONED, CURTIS, ALL OPERATIONS SEEM TO BE RESUMING. IT SEEMS TO BE PRETTY CASUAL. I’VE SEEN LOTS OF FAMILIES GOING IN AND OUT OF THIS KROGER AGAIN HERE AND NEWPORT PAVILLION. SO WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE STORY AND TRY TO FIND MORE ANSWERS. BUT FOR NOW, SEND IT BACK TO YOU IN THE STUDIO, CURTIS. HEY, LINDSAY, YOU MENTIONED THE STRAIN PUT ON RESOURCES OF SMALLER CITIES. THIS MIGHT BE A CART BEFORE THE HORSE QUESTION. ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS FOR A RESPONSE LIKE THIS? NOW, WE ACTUALLY IT’S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE WE ASKED BELLEVUE MAYOR CHARLIE CLEAVES, AND HE TOLD US THAT THE CITY PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THE TODAY’S RESPONSE THAT FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT ALL COMING UP. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, IT JUST HARD TO HEAR THAT IT WAS A HOAX. ALL OF THAT MONEY BEING SPENT TODAY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THAT’S LINDSAY STONE REPORTING FOR US OUT THERE IN TH

Police: 6th Kroger evacuated after another bomb threat; scene since cleared

Updated: 12:13 PM EDT Jun 11, 2023

A sixth Kroger grocery store was evacuated over the weekend after police say the store on Hamilton Ave. in North College Hill received a bomb threat.North College Hill police say the call came in around 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning, prompting an evacuation of the store. Authorities say the all-clear was given shortly before noon.Police say they believe the incident is related to Saturday, when five stores across the Tri-State - Newport, Bellevue, Oakley, Cold Spring and Erlanger - were all evacuated after reported bomb threats.All stores were cleared and employees and customers were eventually allowed back inside.Police in Bellevue said the Kroger was cleared with the help of explosive detection K9’s from the Cincinnati Police Department and the Northern Kentucky University Police Department.Cincinnati police said the Kroger in Oakley was searched and nothing was found.Police said the threats were false alarms and they believe the threat was part of a nationwide hoax that has been going on in recent months.A Kroger spokesperson confirmed suspicious activity at Kroger stores across the Tri-State area Saturday."The safety and well-being of our associates and customers are our top priority," the spokesperson added.Kroger officials are working with local law enforcement and the FBI to investigate similar threats that have taken place around the country at many retail stores.The spokesperson said this is an active investigation, we refer all questions to local law enforcement.

CINCINNATI —

A sixth Kroger grocery store was evacuated over the weekend after police say the store on Hamilton Ave. in North College Hill received a bomb threat.

North College Hill police say the call came in around 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning, prompting an evacuation of the store. Authorities say the all-clear was given shortly before noon.

Police say they believe the incident is related to Saturday, when five stores across the Tri-State - Newport, Bellevue, Oakley, Cold Spring and Erlanger - were all evacuated after reported bomb threats.

All stores were cleared and employees and customers were eventually allowed back inside.

Police in Bellevue said the Kroger was cleared with the help of explosive detection K9’s from the Cincinnati Police Department and the Northern Kentucky University Police Department.

Cincinnati police said the Kroger in Oakley was searched and nothing was found.

Police said the threats were false alarms and they believe the threat was part of a nationwide hoax that has been going on in recent months.

A Kroger spokesperson confirmed suspicious activity at Kroger stores across the Tri-State area Saturday.

"The safety and well-being of our associates and customers are our top priority," the spokesperson added.

Kroger officials are working with local law enforcement and the FBI to investigate similar threats that have taken place around the country at many retail stores.

The spokesperson said this is an active investigation, we refer all questions to local law enforcement.