Kroger store in Prospect marked clear after report of suspicious activity

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez and Quinlan Bentley, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·2 min read
1
Police taped up the scene at the Kroger store in Prospect after a bomb threat was reported.
Police taped up the scene at the Kroger store in Prospect after a bomb threat was reported.

Kroger store in Prospect has been cleared after a bomb threat was called in on Saturday afternoon, Prospect Police said.

The manager of the store received a call from a man saying he had left a backpack with a bomb in one of the shelves and he would detonate it if he was not paid, Prospect Police Chief Jeff Sherrard said. He said police did not find anything on the shelves, but found a backpack "in a location that they thought at the time was odd."

After the Louisville Metro Police bomb task force responded to the scene, they determined it was safe and that it belonged to an employee, Sherrard said. He said the store was reopened after being closed for 90 minutes.

Jessica Sharp, a Kroger spokesperson, confirmed the suspicious activity earlier as other Kroger stores received bomb threats as well.

"We can confirm suspicious activity at several Kroger locations. 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 have taken place around the country at many retail stores," Sharp said.

A Courier-Journal reporter at the scene learned that employees and customers were asked to leave the Prospect store on Saturday afternoon. Middletown Fire Department and Prospect Police responded to the scene.

Two other Kroger stores in Northern Kentucky were evacuated Saturday morning after they received bomb threats, police said. The Bellevue Police Department first reported the threats concerning the Kroger locations in Newport and Bellevue in a Facebook post just before 11 a.m.

More: Winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday, June 9, 2023. Lottery jackpot at $240 million

The Kroger Marketplace store at the Newport Pavilion has been cleared, the city of Newport said in tweet just before noon.

The Bellevue store has also been cleared and reopened with help from the Cincinnati Police Department and Northern Kentucky University police, Bellevue police said on social media at 12:38 p.m.

Bellevue police said they believe the threats are part of a nationwide hoax and the FBI has been notified.

More: 'What in the world is going on'? See video of crazy long TSA lines at Louisville's airport

More: Gavin Perkins, once charged with mother's Louisville murder, to leave psychiatric hospital

Reporter Joe Gerth contributed. Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kroger store in Prospect clear after report of suspicious activity