A Virginia Intermont College student – accused of quipping to a Walmart clerk that he planned to blow up his campus with items bought at the store Monday – is now under local and federal investigation.
Before the day was over, a bomb-sniffing police dog scoured the student’s dorm room for explosives, and he was questioned by federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
“He said, ‘I’m just buying stuff to blow up Virginia Intermont,’ ” said Bristol, Tenn., Police Capt. Charlie Thomas. “Now he says he was being a smart ass.”
Though held for questioning, Kevin Bost, 19, of Greenville, S.C., has not been charged with making a bomb threat.
Thomas said the investigation appears to support Bost’s assertion that his comments were more sarcasm than threat.
Bost could face disciplinary action and even expulsion by the school, depending on the results of the police investigation, said VI spokeswoman Lisa Mitchell.
Officers arriving at the store, on Century Boulevard off Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tenn., charged Bost with misdemeanor shoplifting after noting that his pockets appeared too full. Officers report pulling from his pockets a box of baking soda, silver cleaner and other items.
Bost initially raised suspicions around 8:15 a.m., as he plucked detergents and other chemical-based household items from the store’s shelves, police report.
A store clerk, noticing that Bost had been in the store for a long time, asked if he needed help. The response convinced the clerk to call police, Thomas said.
The manager of the Walmart could not be reached by telephone for comment Monday.
Police say Bost told them he bought the items for use in a photography class, and not to make a bomb.
“We talked to his professors at school and they said it could be used for photography” to develop pictures, Thomas said.
Still, police on the Virginia side of town were notified so they could search for explosives at the school. None were found, Bristol, Va., Police Sgt. Stephen Crawford confirmed.
With the search limited to Bost’s dorm room, the college campus remained open for classes.
An alert also went to ATF agents, Crawford confirmed. It could not be determined if federal charges are being considered.
mowens@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2549
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