Editor’s note: This story is by Jordan Cuddemi, a reporter for the Valley News where it was first published on Dec. 4.
White River Junction — A “vague” bomb threat directed at the office of the state Department for Children and Families in White River Junction was the first in a series of calls state and local police responded to on Friday morning.
While officers were investigating the bomb threat at Windsor Superior Court — where the DCF office is located — investigators learned that several suspicious packages had been delivered throughout the town by U.S. mail, Hartford police Chief Phil Kasten said in a news release Friday evening.
One of those packages went to the courthouse and was discovered at the same time police were investigating the 9:45 a.m. threat.
“Consequently, investigators and bomb technicians from the Vermont State Police were notified and responded to assist,” Kasten said in the release.
After arriving at the courthouse, police received calls about suspicious packages from officials at the Hartford Municipal Building, Hartford High School, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and St. Anthony’s Church.
The packages were found to contain only packing paper and cardboard, police said.
An investigation by Vermont State Police and the Hartford police and fire departments, working in conjunction with U.S. Postal Service inspectors, determined that the packages likely were part of a shipping fraud scheme based in Provo, Utah. At least 20 similar packages were shipped to White River Junction addresses, Kasten said.
The suspicious packages were not linked to the bomb threat, Kasten said. Though preliminary findings determined the threat to be a hoax, police are continuing to investigate the incident, he said.
Details about the threat — other than it being phoned in — weren’t disclosed Friday.
A courtroom in Windsor Superior Court was cleared for about 45 minutes around 11 a.m. and the court closed for the day minutes later, according to people who were inside. After bomb technicians searched the courthouse, they moved on to search the high school.
Hartford School District Superintendent Tom DeBalsi said on Friday the school did not receive a bomb threat.
“We did have three suspicious packages that we were advised to leave in a safe place until the police could assess them,” DeBalsi said in an email to the Valley News. “Luckily, that news came at the end of the day and we were able to dismiss (students) according to our regular schedule. After-school and evening activities at the high school, technology center and middle school were canceled.”
The state office building in Springfield, Vt., also was evacuated on Friday after threats were made against DCF, according to WPTZ.
On Wednesday, Northeast Kingdom Human Services in St. Johnsbury, Vt., received a threat of gun violence through the facility’s answering service, police said in a news release earlier this week. The building was evacuated and searched, but nothing was found. That investigation also is ongoing.
In August, a DCF worker in Barre, Vt., was killed by a mother who was unhappy about losing custody of her child. Jody Herring allegedly shot and killed Lara Sobel on Aug. 7 after allegedly shooting and killing three of her family members at a Berlin, Vt., home.
Anyone with information about the Windsor Superior Court bomb threat is asked to call Hartford police Detective Tom Ledford at 802-295-9425 or email tledford@hartford-vt.org.
Anyone who receives an unexpected package from Utah should return it unopened to a local post office.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.