Thurston County bomb hoax tied to 13-year-old boy on East Coast

OLYMPIA — A fake bomb threat that forced a Thurston County store to evacuate has been traced to a 13-year-old boy who said he lost a bet, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Last Tuesday morning, Jan. 9, deputies were dispatched to the Dollar General in Rainier for a bomb threat, the sheriff’s office said on social media.

“A caller reported a bomb behind the store,” the post reads. “The store was evacuated, and the area was checked. Nothing was found around the business or inside the business. Additional investigation will occur to identify the caller, but the phone number was not from the area.”

The sheriff’s office traced the call to a teen on the East Coast. He explained he had lost a bet.

“The kid thought if he called across the country, we would be unable to figure out who called,” the post reads. “The child and his parents were shocked when local law enforcement contacted them. The child’s family was very cooperative with law enforcement on the East Coast and our detectives.”