by Steve Dunford
Over the last few months, one thing that I have taken pride in is getting information out in a timely manner, if there is an emergency here in the county. Last Sunday night, I was in the right place at the right time.
I did not feel well Sunday afternoon. Because of that, I stayed home from church Sunday night. Around 6:00 p.m., the time church would have started, I began to get word of a bomb threat at Franklin Hospital. If I did not feel well, I would have been at church.
Several emergency crews were put into action, and evacuated patients from the hospital in a timely manner. Even it being a well oiled machine, you had nursing home patients that the staff was doing the best they could to keep them dry on a rainy night.
When I heard the news, my first thought was, what if someone was in critical condition in the ER, being involved in a traffic accident or having a heart attack? I hope the individual that called this in realizes how many lives he or she could have possibly put in danger.
I just don’t get the mentality of causing havoc in the lives of hundreds of people. I don’t get why some destroy public property for kicks.
Have I made a prank call in my life? Yes, I have called some stores and asked if they had Prince Albert in a can. Have I soaped windows? Yes. I still have not figured this out, but it was a contest to soap Deb’s tavern, beer 5 cents on my aunt’s picture window by several rug rats growing up in Thompsonville. It was also a write of passage into manhood to give the bridge at West Frankfort Lake, and Cry Baby Bridge a fresh coat of spray paint, especially if you could paint your girlfriend’s name on there.
While we were ornery kids out having fun. There has been a rash of bomb threats at local schools over the last few years. Most of the time it is a kid wanting the day off. When this person is caught that called it in to Franklin Hospital Sunday night, I am curious what their rationale was. No matter what they say, it is no excuse to put lives in danger like they did. They should be prosecuted to the fullest intent of the law.
If a plea of insanity is used, that is a given. Someone, no matter the grievance or other reasoning they would do that at a medical facility, is nuts. It is as simple as that.
I used to work as an assistant supervisor for a federal subcontractor. I remember a training session we had on bomb threats. They told us to ask several questions. One was repeatedly ask the person’s name. They eventually will spill their guts with that or other information,
The one that did this will eventually make a phone call. Law enforcement will PNG their phone and will get them. Like I said it is not a matter of if, it is when.
While all the “excitement” was going on in Benton, six miles to the south some individuals were stomping on a wet ball field at West Frankfort park, doing considerable damage. My question is why? What thrill do you get tearing up a field for little league kids to play on?
As I had this thought, someone in the building I live in kicked a hole in the wall in the lobby. What really left me shaking my head, it was under a security camera.
This is a mentality that I just do not get. I think a just sentence for individuals is they have to physically fix their damage. For the bomb threat person, I think sitting out in a wheelchair during a rain or snow event the whole time they are in prison, would do them some good.
