Teen makes bomb threat after ‘losing bet’

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) deputies reported a bomb threat hoax on their social media post.

Deputies were dispatched to the Dollar General store in Rainier on Wednesday, January 10, following a call that claimed a bomb had been placed behind the store, prompting the evacuation of the premises.

Upon inspection of the area surrounding the business and inside the store, law enforcement found no evidence of any explosive device.

Authorities have investigated the caller's identity, discovering that the phone number did not originate from the local area.

Detectives obtained a search warrant related to the phone call, leading them to uncover the caller's identity and the motive behind the call, tracing it back to a 13-year-old child on the East Coast who admitted to making the false report after losing a bet, TCSO reported.

The child believed that by placing the call from across the country, authorities would be unable to trace the origin.

Both the child and the parents were reportedly shocked when contacted by local law enforcement along with the assistance of East Coast law enforcement.

“The child's family was very cooperative with law enforcement on the East Coast and our detectives,” TCSO reported on their social media post.