NEWBERRY — Newberry Police Department along with other agencies responded to 2605 Kinard Street at approximately 9:06 a.m. this morning in reference to a bomb threat inside Self Medical Center, Newberry (the atrium).
Police Chief Roy McClurkin said that Palmetto Bone and Joint in Laurens County discovered a bomb threat message on their answering machine when they arrived for work on Thursday, March 29 that referenced their Newberry location.
Once officers arrived on scene, employees and others had been evacuated from the building by hospital staff.
A preliminary investigation of the building was performed followed by a search of the building and parking lot by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) explosives detection K-9 unit. After a thorough search of the building and parking lot was conducted by SLED, all clear was given and employees and others were allowed to return to the building. All surrounding locations and community were given the all-clear a s well, McClurkin said.
Multiple agencies responded to assist including Newberry Fire Department, Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and SLED. Both McClurkin and Newberry Fire Chief Keith Minick appreciated the cooperation between the multiple agencies as well as hospital administration during the operation.
This is currently an ongoing investigation with the Newberry Police Department, Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton Department of Public Safety.
“My investigators will be working with these agencies to bring charges against the person responsible for this incident,” McClurkin said.
Minick said these situations are unique to the fact that they are a process of elimination.
“Members took their time to search the premises and gather information as well as utilizing state and local resources of a K-9 unit,” Minick said. “We appreciate the public being patient as we worked through the process to keep them safe until they were clear ed to return to the building and parking lot to retrieve items.”
