2 days ago
Rockwood police close city buildings after threatening message, arrest made
The Brief
Rockwood city buildings were closed after police say they received a threatening message.
Authorities suspect it could have been a prank, but they are not taking any chances.
The person or people behind the voicemails could face serious charges and years in prison.
ROCKWOOD, Mich. (FOX 2) - City services in Rockwood were paused on Wednesday after police received a message indicating someone wanted to attack the station.
Update: Officials have said they have made an arrest in relation to the threat, but the investigation is ongoing.
What they're saying
Authorities suspect it could have been a prank, but they are not taking any chances. The messages were alarming, and something nobody wants to hear.
Rockwood city offices were closed on Wednesday after police received a disturbing message around 7 a.m. Chief Randy Krause explained that city officials suspended services for the day and locked the doors.
"There is no direct threat to the public," said Krause. "This is very specifically addressed towards this police department. It is not a bomb threat. It actually came in this morning, a couple of voicemails. One of them indicated that he was going to shoot up our police station. Obviously, we take threats against our community seriously, as well as threats against our own employees."
Dig deeper
The threat comes just a few weeks after Rockwood police pulled over 18-year-old Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, who immigrated from Colombia to the U.S. over two years ago, seeking asylum.
Krause mentioned he doesn't know if the threats are connected to that case.
"We're not going to speculate on what it may or may not be connected with. Speculation can cover a wide range of possibilities," he said. "We're going to let the evidence lead us to where it does."
Police say on May 20, Bogoya-Duarte and classmates were driving to Lake Erie Metropark in Rockwood for a school field trip when they were stopped.
A teacher of Bogoya-Duarte said when she went to get them, an officer informed her that they called Customs and Border Protection for a Spanish translator to assist with a language barrier.
He was driving without a license.
He was then detained and initially sent to an ICE detention center in the Upper Peninsula.
Big picture view
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, representing him, stated that his request for a pause was denied on Wednesday. He is now awaiting deportation at a detention center in Louisiana.
"This is a situation that Border Patrol is handling, and we're going to let them handle it to the best of their ability," Krause said.
As for Rockwood police, they have launched an investigation. They say the person or people behind the voicemails could face serious charges and years in prison.
"This is considered a terrorist threat. So it could potentially escalate to the federal level," Krause said. "We haven't made that determination yet, but it does fall under terroristic threats under state laws."
Chief Krause hopes to reopen all city offices on Thursday.
