A series of “swatting” calls that included bomb threats were received across Wood County Friday.
Bowling Green police responded to the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) for a reported bomb threat.
When officers arrived, they checked the perimeter and did not locate anything suspicious, according to the Bowling Green Police Division report.
JDC staff told police that around 6 a.m., they received a call from a male that gave the name “Jose Martinez” and told staff he was going to put them in a “body bag.” Martinez then asked who the director of the facility was, but they refused to give him the information.
Martinez then stated that he was making a C4 bomb. When staff asked where the bomb would be placed, he responded “you’ll find it when you see an explosion,” according to the report.
The male said he had been watching the facility for two weeks, demanding the release of his friend before hanging up. The call was seven minutes and six seconds, according to the report.
Also on Friday, Perrysburg Township was dispatched to a house on Georgia Road for a similar call with the same threats as the Bowling Green call.
Northwood Police and Owen’s Community College received the same call, according to the police report.
Swatting refers to the action of making hoax phone calls to report serious crimes to emergency services.
Bowling Green police discovered that the phone number that made the calls came from a residence in Muleshoe, Texas. Officers contacted the Muleshoe police, who stated that they knew the couple who lived in the residence and said they did not believe that they were capable of such behavior, believing that the phone number was probably spoofed.
