- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Bomb threat temporarily closes Twin Pine Casino; nothing suspicious found
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the facility received a single telephone call at 9:30 a.m. claiming that there were explosive devices in the hotel and casino.
Kyle Lewis, the casino’s director of marketing and guest services who was reached by phone on the first day of his family vacation, said the casino has a notification system in place that was implemented following the Valley fire. It allows the casino to communicate with employees quickly.
“Unfortunately we've had to put it to use quite a bit in the last few years,” he said.
Supervisor Moke Simon, tribal chair for the Middletown Rancheria, which owns the casino, added, “Obviously we learned a lot after the Valley fire and really tightened up our response."
After the casino received the bomb threat, it notified employees, casino security evacuated the casino and the facility notified the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, according to the agency and Lewis. The casino sent all nonessential personnel home at that point
Sheriff Brian Martin said his agency responded to the scene with several units to begin searching the interior and exterior of all of the casino’s buildings.
Martin was at the Board of Supervisors meeting preparing to talk about deputy hiring incentives when he was informed of the situation. After he spoke on the item he left to respond to the casino.
Simon said he also was alerted about the incident during the board meeting and left during the last item to respond to the casino.
After sheriff’s deputies and casino staff conducted a thorough search of the buildings, “We found nothing suspicious,” said Martin.
"The vast majority of these are hoaxes but we treat everyone as if they are real,” Martin said.
He said he was impressed with the quick response, notification and evacuation of the casino. "Their notification system seemed to be very effective."
“We concentrated on making this property as safe as possible for our employees and guests,” said Simon.
Simon added that he’s pretty sure it wasn’t a real threat, but like the sheriff’s office, “We take everything seriously.”
Simon also praised the casino’s executive team, naming Casino Manager Donna Ross, for their handling of the event.
Martin said the investigation into the incident is continuing.
"We're following up some leads to identify a suspect,” he said.
Officials said the casino and hotel are set to reopen at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“Hopefully this was just a one off and won't happen again, but if it does happen again we're ready,” Lewis said.
John Jensen contributed to this report.
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