Catching the perpetrator of Thursday morning’s bomb threat at Hinds Hall was as simple as checking a Caller ID.

A Syracuse University student used a campus phone at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday to report an anonymous call to the Department of Public Safety, saying he overheard two other students making references to a possible bomb threat on Hinds Hall.

Without evacuating Hinds Hall or interrupting construction workers, Public Safety and the Syracuse Police responded to the call by searching the entire building for suspicious activity. No evidence of a bomb was found, said Lt. Michael Lemm, Public Safety investigator.

‘There was no evacuation of the building necessary,’ Lemm said. ‘We searched the building and found nothing suspicious, so we proceeded with the investigation.’

Through a Caller ID system, Public Safety was able to trace the anonymous phone call back to Haven Hall.

‘After a bit of good, hard investigative work they traced the call directly to the accused,’ Lemm said.

Because the information the student gave to Public Safety was false, it is considered a crime under New York state law, Lemm said.

‘As soon as we traced the call back to the accused student, he admitted that the bomb threat was his idea alone,’ said Lemm. ‘Bomb threats are a crime in the state of New York, and a felony, too.’

Public Safety and Syracuse police worked together to arrest the student, said Capt. Grant Williams of Public Safety.

‘I think it was very good collaborating between Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department,’ Williams said.

The accused student is now awaiting a hearing from both the Office of Judicial Affairs and the city criminal court.

Published on October 20, 2004 at 12:00 pm