A man was arrested by the North Platte police Monday for allegedly leaving a fake bomb at a Verizon Wireless store on S. Dewey St.

Police Sgt. J. Johnson said police received a 911 call at 2:42 p.m., and investigators determined the man had entered the business, placed a box on a table, and stated that it was a bomb.

Johnson said then the man looked at a customer and left.

Employees and customers evacuated the building while officers secured the scene and requested assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol bomb squad.

Police watched video footage from the store and nearby buildings. With the help of license plate reading cameras, they located the car, and then the suspect, later that afternoon. Michael Harkreader, 68, of Santa Fe, Texas, was taken into custody and charged with terroristic threats and threatened use of an explosive.

The NSP bomb squad determined the box contained old computer equipment, wires, and a router, but nothing explosive. Hearkreader told police that he was joking, according to arrest records.

No one seemed to think it was funny. He is charged with placing a fake bomb and making terroristic threats. Bond was set at $50,000.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or any similar incidents is encouraged to call the police at 308-535-6789. Anonymous information can be given by calling 534-8400 or online at www.lincolncountycrimstoppers.com, Johnson said.

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