An officer with the Pennsylvania State Police Hazardous Device & Explosives Section walks into a building along North Christian Street during an evacuation order, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. A scheduled “Drag Queen Story Hour” at a library that had drawn opposition was canceled after a suspicious package was found in the building and two blocks were evacuated after threats were reported, authorities said.
Connor Hollinger - member image share, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Connor Hollinger - member image share, ASSOCIATED PRESS
An officer with the Pennsylvania State Police Hazardous Device & Explosives Section walks into a building along North Christian Street during an evacuation order, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. A scheduled “Drag Queen Story Hour” at a library that had drawn opposition was canceled after a suspicious package was found in the building and two blocks were evacuated after threats were reported, authorities said.
Whoever is behind an emailed bomb threat that prompted police to evacuate large parts of Lancaster on Saturday faces an array of possible criminal charges.
Work to identify the responsible person or persons continues, according to Lancaster police Chief Richard Mendez.
“We are actively investigating,” Mendez said Tuesday, adding that the investigation is likely to take longer than some observers might expect.
Potential charges include harassment, a summary offense; disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor; and the most serious charges are criminal use of a communication facility, terroristic threats and threat to use weapons of mass destruction, which are third-degree felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The responsible party also could be ordered to pay restitution. The cost of the law enforcement response has not been determined, but is sure to be thousands of dollars and could include the costs of the state police bomb squad and responding officers from nearby jurisdictions.
The bomb threat was sent by email shortly after noon Saturday and specifically cited a planned Drag Queen Story Hour at Lancaster Public Library.
The threat came two hours and fifteen minutes after the organizer of the event, Lancaster Pride, canceled it. That decision was made after two bomb-detecting K-9s reacted to a package inside the library.
The email with the bomb threat claimed responsibility for placing bombs in the library, suggesting that whoever sent the email may have sought to capitalize on news of the suspicious package.
At the time the email was sent, no details about whether the package indeed contained a bomb or other hazardous material had been released. Police did not announce until around 3:20 p.m. that the package’s contents were deemed to be safe. It turned out to contain coloring books from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the library was expecting.
Lancaster police said they are coordinating their investigation with the county District Attorney’s office. The two law enforcement agencies urged anyone with information about the source of the bomb threat email to call 717-735-3300 or submit an anonymous tip online at lancaster.crimewatchpa.com.
“We are exhausting all efforts to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We understand the importance of transparency and will continue to provide updates when we can release more information,” the two agencies said in a joint statement.
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