Press Release August 16,2009 10:55 pm LAMAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE On August 16 at 5:35 PM a call was received in Lamar County E911 that threatened a bomb on the Gordon College Campus. The caller provided no details of the bomb location. The Gordon College Campus Police and Plant Operations were the first on the scene, followed shortly by the Barnesville/ Lamar County Fire Department. Units from the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Barnesville Police, a Grifin Police Department canine unit, the Georgia State Patrol, and Lamar County Emergency Management responded within minutes to isolate the campus and begin searching for the device. Teams of responders were dispatched simultaneously to clear individual buildings, beginning with the housing units. The GBI bomb squad and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) were alerted. In all, over 1,000 student rooms, classroom buildings, administrative buildings, and the athletic buildings were searched. At around 7:30 students were allowed to return to their rooms with instructions to remain vigilant toward unusual circumstances. By 8:15 pm the all clear was given and the GBI bomb squad and GEMA were notified to stand down their alert. Because of the cooperation of over 50 emergency response personnel, working as a team, every room on campus was searched in less than three hours of the receipt of the 911 call. Sheriff Waller and Gordon College Chief Douglas commended every responder with an outstanding job in restoration of normal activity of the 1,000 plus students preparing for tomorrow’s first day of class. Teamwork is now the norm in Lamar County as we all strive for safety of our citizens. The investigation is continuing.
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