UPDATED: Ford Plant Evacuated as Sheriff's Office Investigates Threat
UPDATE, 5:15 P.M. JULY 19
Zachariah A. Peterson, 19, has been charged with one count of making a terroristic threat. He is being held on a $150,000 bond in the Clay County Detention Center.
UPDATE, 10 A.M. JULY 19
We, alongside the Claycomo Police Department and our federal partners, have made an arrest in last night's hoax threat at the Ford plant. Criminal charges are pending.
UPDATE, 2:30 A.M. JULY 19
We and our partner agencies have finished searching the Ford plant. We did not locate anyone inside and have determined the threat was not credible.
Investigation into the source of the threats is ongoing.
ORIGINAL, 8:50 P.M. JULY 18
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible threat at the Ford plant in Claycomo. At about 5:20 PM today, July 18, a call came into Ford’s safety and risk management team from a man who claimed to be armed with explosives, a rifle, and a handgun. He said he was barricaded in the second floor bathroom in the paint area of the plant.
Ford has ceased all production and evacuated the plant. They have also canceled production for the night shift. The road in front of the Ford plant on 69 Highway has been closed. We ask the public to avoid the area.
The man who called said he was an employee and was disgruntled. He gave a name that is not an actual employee of the paint area. He did name his supervisor, and that was the correct name. We have not been able to make contact with him since that time. We pinged his phone and believe the phone number that he use may be spoofed.
Our Special Tactics and Response Team is entering the plant to find the source of the threat. It is possible this is a swatting call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise. Our negotiators are on scene, as well, and have been unable to make contact.
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