SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — At least three grocery stores were closed Wednesday following reports of evacuations in Springfield.
The Walmart Supercenters at 200 S. Tuttle Road and 2100 N. Bechtle Ave. and the Kroger at 2728 E. Main St. were both closed and turning away customers early Wednesday afternoon.
The Kroger was expected to reopen at 1 p.m., according to security personnel.
A worker at the Bechtle Walmart said the store closed after receiving a bomb threat.
It’s not clear whether the other two stores also received threats.
Multiple sites in the Springfield area have received bomb threats over the past week, including schools, universities, city and county buildings and hospitals. None of the threats were credible and all locations were investigated and deemed safe.
City officials and police said they are working with the FBI office in Dayton to investigate the origin of the threats.
On Tuesday, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers were stationed at different Springfield City School buildings. The district opted to stay open with increased security this week instead of closing when they received non-credible threats.
The threats were reported in the days following false rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets that were spread in part by Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
