Yazoo City’s Walmart has been plagued by bomb threats with another disrupting the business and wasting the time of emergency responders this week.
Ward 4 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. addressed the issue during the last Mayor & Board of Aldermen meeting, saying that he hopes whoever is responsible will be arrested soon.
“I would hate to think it’s someone in Yazoo City, especially considering how hard we worked to get Walmart here,” Brent said. “It makes no sense. We spent too much time and money working to get this business here to create jobs and improve our economy.”
The bomb threats cost the local store money because the business has to be evacuated until emergency responders determine that there is no real threat. All of the recent bomb threats were hoaxes.
False bomb threats also cause police officer and firefighters to respond and secure the area. This could cost valuable time if an actual emergency were to take place during the bomb threat response.
Brent said he thinks there will be an arrest or arrests in these cases.
“Whoever is doing this needs to realize that they are going to get caught,” Brent said. “Technology is so sophisticated now that you’re not going to be able to get away with this.”
Brent said he doesn’t think everyone realizes the penalties involved with making bomb threats.
“It’s a federal offense,” Brent said. “It costs the city money, caused our fire department and police officers to respond, and it’s costing this business money. Citizens deserve much better than this. Whoever is doing this is not going to get away with it, and they’re going to do some time (in jail) once they’re caught.
