ALTOONA — Two central Iowa Walmart locations were cleared following bomb threats Wednesday morning.
Identical bomb threats was reported at the Altoona and Windsor Heights Walmarts on Wednesday morning, according to Altoona Police Department.
The threat was reported, though police are not finding credible evidence that there is anything behind the threat. The stores were evacuated as a precaution. Police are on scene right now investigating what happened.
The Windsor Heights Police Department says employees at that store received a suspicious call around 7:20 a.m. Wednesday with the caller giving information “causing the store to be evacuated” and emergency responders to be notified.
“WalMart management did exactly what they should have done during this morning’s incident. The safety of our community is paramount and we take any incidents such as this morning’s incident very seriously,” Windsor Heights Public Safety Director & Chief of Police and Fire Servicse Chad McCluskey said in a statement. “In addition, emergency responders in the Des Moines metro area enjoy close relationships with each other, which leads to timely communication during similar incidents in the area.”
The penalties for making a bomb threat can be severe, including a felony charge. The severity of the crime charged and the penalty given will also vary by the circumstances of the threat.