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More threats in Springfield, Ohio: College closes campus out of fear
Enterprise

More threats in Springfield, Ohio: College closes campus out of fear

A new bomb threat prompted officials at Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio, on Sunday to close the campus this week and hold classes virtually, the school said.

Clark officials said they received an email containing a bomb threat against the Springfield campus on Sunday, a day after another email threatening a shooting was received on Saturday.

“We took immediate action with the Springfield Police Department and they have ensured that our campus is safe and secure,” the college said in a statement.

A sign hangs on a street lamp at the intersection of Main Street and Fountain Avenue in Springfield, Ohio on September 11, 2024.

Paul Vernon/AP

The college said that “out of an abundance of caution,” it will conduct all instruction virtually and close all of its campuses the week of Sept. 16-20. It added: “The safety and well-being of our students, staff and community will always be our top priority.”

“We understand the fear that such incidents can cause, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and care,” Clark officials said. “As a proactive measure, Springfield Police will also increase their security presence on campus, and we are working with our health team and partners to provide additional counseling services.”

Saturday’s bomb threats targeted three medical facilities, an unnamed fourth facility and Wittenberg University, a small private liberal arts college in Springfield, officials said.

Wittenberg authorities canceled all activities planned for Sunday because of a threat “targeting Haitian members of our community,” the university said in a warning message on Saturday.

“The University of Wittenberg is currently taking extreme precautions following an email threatening a possible shooting on campus tomorrow,” the university said in a statement on Saturday.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the FBI is “working in coordination with Springfield Police and Wittenberg University to determine the credibility of recent threats, share information and initiate appropriate investigative actions. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything they believe to be suspicious to law enforcement.”

In response to the threats, local police raided and evacuated the affected colleges and medical facilities. Some have already reopened, a police official told ABC News.

Springfield Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital and Kettering Health Springfield were listed by authorities as targets.

Springfield police have increased their staffing levels to address threats posed by unsubstantiated allegations about the Haitian migrant community.

Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school closed in Springfield on Friday after a threatening email was sent, according to the school district and mayor.

The elementary schools released the students into the care of their parents, officials said.

It is unclear whether the person who sent Friday’s threat is the same person who sent the other threats, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent by email “to several authorities and media” in the city, the city council said.

Explosives-sniffing dogs helped police evacuate several facilities named in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and some driver’s license offices, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The county courthouse facilities were also evacuated “out of an abundance of caution,” she said.

The FBI is working with local police to determine the source of the threat, Elliott said.

The mayor said there is great fear in Springfield because of the threats.

“This is a very concerning time for our citizens, and frankly, a lot of people are fed up with the things being spread about our community that are just negative and untrue. We need help, not hate,” Rue told ABC News on Friday.

The mayor said he believes these threats are directly related to the unfounded rumors that circulated online after news went viral on social media that Haitian migrants in Springfield were kidnapping people’s pets to eat. The rumors were amplified by right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance.

“In Springfield, they eat the dogs,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s presidential debate. “The people that came here, they eat the cats, they eat, they eat the pets of the people that live there.”

A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News that these allegations are false and that there are “no credible reports or specific allegations that pets belonging to individuals from the immigrant community have been harmed, injured or mistreated.”

“In addition, there are no confirmed cases of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the spokesman said. “In addition, there are no reports that members of the immigrant community have intentionally obstructed traffic.”

The mayor added: “Your pets are safe in Springfield.”

Springfield estimates that there are about 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county. The migrants were drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and job opportunities, according to the city. The rapid population increase has strained resources for housing, health care and schools, the city said. City officials also said that the migrants are in the country legally and that many of them have been granted temporary protected status.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, saying they “not only reinforce harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield.

The mayor stressed: “Anyone who takes a microphone on a national stage must understand what they can do to communities like Springfield with their words. They are not helping. They are hurting communities like ours with their words.”

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

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