Chemeketa Reopens Campus After Bomb Squad Sweep

Campus's are open again.

OSP Bomb technicians prep for the sweep through Chemeketa. Photo: Marion County Sheriffs Office

(SALEM, Ore.) - Early this morning, Marion County Sheriffs were contacted by KPTV 12 television in Portland. They reported a female caller had notified them that a bomb would be going off at the Chemeketa Community College this morning.

Officials say that it appears at this time that the call was a hoax.

KPTV 12 was unable to provide any caller identification on the original call, which was received at 5:40am.

The campus' were closed to all activity, but were reopened at 11:00 a.m., after Deputies from Marion County Sheriff's Office assisted by OSP Bomb technicians, completed their search of the Chemeketa Community College campus on Lancaster Drive NE in Salem at about 10:30 a.m.

Several satellite campus buildings in McMinnville, Dallas and Woodburn were also searched, and Salem-Keizer Transit Cheriotts bus lines 3, 11, 15, and 20 temporarily stopped serving the Chemeketa Campus.

Deputies did discover a woman’s purse hidden in the pipes under the sink of the women’s restroom at the Brook’s Training Center (a Chemeketa facility). OSP bomb technicians, using a robot, retrieved the purse and determined it contained some personal items, but no identification. It did not pose a threat.

A total of 5 deputies, 5 College Campus security officers and 2 OSP Troopers trained as bomb technicians assisted in the 4-hour searches.

Anyone with information on the caller’s identify is asked to contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 503.588.5032.

Thanks to Jerry Freeman, Reporter/Photographer for contributing to this report; also MCSO.

---------------------------------