CLIFTON, Texas — A bomb threat that was called in to a Brookshire's grocery store in Clifton has been disproven after a sweep was done and an all-clear of the scene was given, according to police.
Authorities made note when the bomb threat initially came in late on the morning of Monday, June 24 that other grocery stores across the state had received similar threats, but none had turned out to be true.
"We didn't think that this was a credible threat, but every threat needs to be taken as credible, obviously, until we know otherwise," said Clifton Police Chief Chris Blanton.
Blanton told 6 News the Brookshire's store was given the all-clear in about half an hour after they were notified of the threat. He said law enforcement was ready and prepared for the possibility of the threat which made the sweep of the store go smoothly and swiftly.
The hoax at the Clifton location comes after dozens of other Brookshire's locations received threats in the last week. Blanton said he noticed a trend which made them better prepared.
"It seems like on Saturday, towns that start with letter 'A' were targeted, on Sunday, towns with letter 'B' were targeted, and then we just assumed probably Monday would be letter 'C', and sure enough, we were correct," Blanton explained.
Blanton, Clifton police officers and the Bosque County Sheriff's Office worked with Brookshire's to ensure the safety of employees and customers.
"One of the perks I guess of living in such a small town, everybody knows everybody and so these store employees are pretty savvy and know who's supposed to be there and who's not," Blanton said.
A spokesperson for Brookshire's confirmed the bomb threat at the Clifton location in a statement to 6 News that detailed they are working with law enforcement to get to the bottom of the hoax.
"Brookshire Grocery Company can confirm that several of our Brookshire's locations, including our Clifton location, have received bomb threats. We reacted immediately to notify local law enforcement. After thoroughly searching each targeted store, no explosive or suspicious materials were found. Although we believe these threats to all be a hoax, we are continuing to work with state and federal officials on the searching and investigating each threat and will actively pursue prosecution. We are so thankful for our leaders and local heroes who reacted swiftly to make sure our stores are safe. BGC’s number one priority is the health and safety of our employee-partners and customers."
The FBI San Antonio Division told 6 News in a statement that they are investigating the hoax as well.
"The FBI’s San Antonio Division is aware of the numerous hoax threats made to grocery stores. The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. We do not have information that indicates a specific and credible threat, and will continue to work with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately."
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