Threats Put John Amos Power Plant on High Alert
Threats Put John Amos Power Plant on High Alert Save Email Print
Posted: 11:05 PM Nov 11, 2008
Last Updated: 11:05 PM Nov 11, 2008
Reporter: Kallie Cart
Email Address: Kallie.Cart@wsaz.com

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WINFIELD, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Several bomb threats at the John Amos Power Plant have authorities and plant officials looking for the culprits.

State Police and the F.B.I. have been looking into each of the threats. They began in October.

Each time a threat is made the plant has to be evacuated. A bomb dog is also brought in to thoroughly search the whole plant.

On Tuesday, another scare sent workers home early.

Some of the threats have been spotted on the walls of portable toilets at the plant, while one was called in.

Employees we talked to said the threats are both scary and frustrating.

"You don't know what's going to happen. They're up there, running around hollering, 'Bomb,' " said worker Marvin McKown. " We don't know what's going on for sure. It's just, is it really going to happen? Is it going to happen tomorrow?"

Appalachian Power is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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Posted by: Anon. on Nov 13, 2008 at 04:34 PM
My husband works there, too. He gets paid for 2 hours. He has the option of staying or leaving after the threat has been made/determined. If he leaves, he gets paid 2 hours. I am sure it's different for different trades/contractors.

Posted by: Amy on Nov 13, 2008 at 04:30 PM
To Boilermakers Wife: What a stupid comment to make "the gays shouldn't even be there" You closeminded idiot. I agree with the druggies being put out due to safety reasons, but what's a gay man or woman going to do? Chase a straight man around in the showers? I think not. Go grab your bible and pray instead of wasting our time. Now for the topic at hand, with everything that's going on in the world today a bomb threat isn't to be taken lightly and it looks like AEP is doing exactly what they should to keep their worker safe. I do hope they catch the person or people that are doing this.

Posted by: I heard on Nov 13, 2008 at 09:34 AM
I heard it is because they are trying to get the union workers out of there. If that happens there wont be very many there at all.

Posted by: charles carroll on Nov 13, 2008 at 07:19 AM
Its disgrunteled employees they must have gotten mad and decided to do this . Next time it happenes they should detain all the personel and make them take polygraph tests , any who refuse would be fired . Then the FBI would have a narrowed field to search in .Could be a good time to go no union !

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 13, 2008 at 06:34 AM
Anon at 9:34, you said that they don't even send them home nor do they bring in the bomb dogs... then you said they send your husband home and you can't even pay the bills. Which one is it???

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 13, 2008 at 05:32 AM
To Ohio, I don't know what Trade you are working in or what Contractor, but my husband works at Amos and when he gets sent home he only gets paid for time worked...a couple times only 6 hrs...he has not got 8-10 hrs paid if he didn't work that!

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 11:47 PM
prank bomb threats are no laughing matter; what *if* the threat were ever "real"??? then what? would authorities shrug their shoulders and say "oh its just one of those employees calling in a false report again, no need to check it out" ...yeah then what? and something "does" happen...some people at that plant or whomever is involved needs to GROW UP!!! there are people out of work who need jobs and cant get them and some dillhole at john amos wants a day off and gets it and KEEPS his/her job!!! yeah who ever did this really needs to GROW UP!

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 11:27 PM
I know several people who work there outta different unions... It's truely BS. If the ones making the threats don't want to work they can "drag up". No one's making them come to work everyday. There's no need to make everyone else lose a days work over stupidity!

Posted by: Anon on Nov 12, 2008 at 09:51 PM
I heard a rumor from a friend that works there saying that someone is doing it to let the men that go hunting the evening off.

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 08:48 PM
Sounds like little boy cried sheep to long so what are they going to do when something terrible happens????

Posted by: Boilermakers Wife on Nov 12, 2008 at 08:39 PM
We have friends that work at that plant,my husband does at times.I heard that they had been weeding out the dope heads.That is what needs to be done,Finding some of these dopes strung out with needles in their arms in different locations on the job not to mention sexual behavor (gay's) these people dont need to be there,, but then where they gonna get drug money. So maybe it leads back to the druggies and gay's that got fired from there.It makes me angry to know innocent workers are in danger because of jerks like that.

Posted by: anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 05:27 PM
My husband also works there and it is getting very old him getting sent home WITHOUT pay for what seems like every-other day. A Couple of times they haven't even sent him home, which is very scary to think of what might happen. It'ss not like the workers have the safest jobs anyway, and now us wives have to worry whether they are going to get blown up by a bomb. Someone needs to grow up! It's not all about them, most of these workers have families to support and they can't do that if they don't get paid!

Posted by: Ohio on Nov 12, 2008 at 05:24 PM
I work at the plant and it is very frustrating. They do care for their employees or they wouldnt send them home, you think they like getting furthur behind everyday. As far as people not being able to pay there bills their husband must be doing something when he does leave because they get paid for at least 8 to 10 hours. I think its the 14th in the past 3 weeks. In my opinion keep them here an wait for the all clear, but with AEP policy they have to send them home for the safety of the employees, but it would probably stop the nonsence.

Posted by: Linda on Nov 12, 2008 at 05:00 PM
Cindy....they are being sent home without pay...and it isn't stopping. And when they are not sent home and made to wait to see if it is real, they deserve every penny they are paid. It is hard enough to sit at home wondering if your loved one will come home alive everyday because of this....I can only imagine what it is like for the workers to sit at that plant wondering if they'll make it home again to see their families....EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Posted by: anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 04:53 PM
i hope and pray for the best that nothing happens.i have a brother and a friend that both works there so i would be really sad if something happened to ethier one of them

Posted by: Meat Head on Nov 12, 2008 at 12:47 PM
No - It is a restricted access site - no kids can get on the plant.

Posted by: cindy on Nov 12, 2008 at 12:13 PM
Maybe a worker wants some time off, send them home without pay and see if it stops

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 09:58 AM
I know someone that works there and these bomb threats have been going on for a while. I am concerned about the workers at the job sites. They are staying on edge wondering when or if something is going to happen not to mention the pay they are losing when they are sent home. I hope they find this person because there is no reason this should go on any longer. Saftey of the employees should come first and for most so just keep the workers safe AEP.

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 09:34 AM
My husband is working there and they don't make them go home. They don't even bring to bomb dog in all the time. They don't care about the people that work there, they had a call and they should have got the person within a few day but they didn't. Now they have found around 5 or so in the bathroom so now they should do them like kids and make a formen go with them. My husband to leave work so much we can't even pay are bill. They also found a note so why didn't they get finger prints off of that??

Posted by: Me on Nov 12, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Dear Anonymous. Please THINK before you write. The facility is a Plant...What in the Hell would a child be ion the grounds. Maybe.... Some adult ACTING like a child. This is getting frustrating for individuals who have to drive miles just to come to work to be SEND HOME!

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 08:16 AM
this is insane my husband has been contracted out to work there for the next 9 months an he does is job an he does it very well an i would die if something happened to him people just need to grow up anstop doing stupid stuff to get attention the is pitiful grpw up people

Posted by: anon on Nov 12, 2008 at 07:57 AM
I'd take whoever was doin this and take them up one of those stacks and tie and leave em for awhile, and then see if they dare to do it again!

Posted by: anon on Nov 12, 2008 at 07:36 AM
My brother works there and he said it is getting to be old being sent home from work. Some people dont seem to care who they are hurting. When my broht-in-law was here yesterday he said that the last time that happened they made the people who done it pay back every cent the company lost and imagine 1100 peoples wages for lost time. Unless your rich you wouldnt be able to pay because a union worker makes really good money these days. They should think twice about what they are doing by calling in threats like that it is sad.

Posted by: Workers wife on Nov 12, 2008 at 07:25 AM
My husband works at this plant and it's a bunch of BS. It stinks for the guys because it's putting their work behind. I'm sure it's some lazy person that don't want to work so he calls them in to get to go home. They need to just quit and let the guys do their jobs.

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 12, 2008 at 12:14 AM
Have they checked out the kids that made the same threat to Winfield Middle? Are the restrooms in a location a child can get to?

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