Update 3:45 p.m. Tuesday:
York County authorities said a bomb threat investigation at a polling place Tuesday was the result of a “joke” between friends.
A person called the electoral board Tuesday morning to inquire whether the polling place at Tabb Middle School was closed, because they had been told by a friend there was a bomb threat at that location.
York-Poquoson Sheriff’s deputies and York County Department of Fire & Life Safety went to the scene to investigate, and determined it was an unfounded report, authorities said.
York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office Capt. Troy Lyons said there are no charges against anyone at this time because neither individual committed a crime.
Lyons said authorities do not believe the person who called the York County Electoral Board made a threat or filed a false police report.
The person did not know the friend was joking about the bomb threat when the electoral board was called, Lyons added.
Lyons said federal authorities were not notified of the incident because voting continued throughout the day and there was no credible bomb threat. Voting was not interrupted, and no residents were delayed or prevented from casting their ballot.
Original story:
Deputies from York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Tabb Elementary Tuesday morning to investigate bomb threat reports at the polling location, said Sheriff’s Office Capt. Troy Lyons.
Around 10:30 a.m., an anonymous person called the York County electoral board and reported having been turned away from the polling location after an unidentified person approached the individual and said there was a bomb threat, Lyons said.
When deputies arrived, they questioned individuals and voter volunteers about the report and found that no one else had heard of the threat.
The polling place was not closed down during the investigation because, Lyons said, it was an unsubstantiated report from an unknown individual that could not be located for further questioning.
“It wasn’t a direct report of someone saying they had a bomb, but rather a third party report of someone saying they had heard of a threat,” Lyons said.
