WICOMICO CO., Md. - Law enforcement agencies are investigating a second bomb threat targeting elementary schools in Wicomico County within a two-day period.
The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office says the Fruitland Police Department received a threatening call on its non-emergency line just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. An unidentified caller reportedly referenced a previous attempt to speak with “Captain Holland” before threatening to “bomb all elementary schools within the area.”
No specific elementary school was named in Wednesday’s threat, and the Sheriff’s Office says the threats are not considered credible. Deputies and other law enforcement personnel are still increasing patrols at Wicomico County Public Schools and taking additional safety precautions in coordination with school officials, according to police.
The latest call follows a previous pair of threatening calls that referenced “Fruitland Elementary School.” Authorities say the phone number used Wednesday was different from the number connected to the earlier threat.
Investigators are now working to identify whoever is responsible for the calls. According to the Sheriff’s Office, an emergency disclosure request was submitted to the Voice over Internet Protocol provider associated with the phone number used Wednesday.
Authorities sought information including account details, associated email addresses and phone numbers, recovery information, and IP addresses. Investigators, working with an FBI agent, determined that subscriber information provided to Google when the phone number was registered appears to be fake.
Investigators also found that the suspect’s internet traffic was routed through a VPN server associated with an IP address in the Netherlands.
An FBI agent is working to obtain additional information about that connection, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities caution that the process could take time and that the connection may have been routed through additional VPNs or service providers in other countries, potentially making it more difficult to identify where the calls originated.
The Sheriff’s Office says similar incidents have been reported elsewhere in the country and are not isolated to Wicomico County.
Anyone with information about the threatening calls is asked to contact the Fruitland Police Department at 410-548-2804, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office at 410-548-4891, or Wicomico County Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776.
