Store management at the Erlanger Kroger was seen turning vehicles away from the parking lot, and customers and employees could be seen outside in the parking lot evacuated from the store.
Employees were seen re-entering the Erlanger Kroger just before 2:30 p.m.
The Kroger in Cold Spring, near Northern Kentucky University, was also evacuated and closed for almost two hours due to a bomb threat, workers at the store said.
The Oakley Kroger Marketplace also received a threat around 12:30 p.m., CPD’s Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said.
The store could be seen evacuated and surrounded by caution tape.
Caution tape could be seen surrounded the evacuated Kroger Marketplace in Oakley.
Cunningham said nothing was found at the store, and it is reopening around 4 p.m.
Those incidents come after two other Northern Kentucky Kroger stores — Newport and Bellevue — were previously cleared Saturday by police for bomb threats.
Bellevue police sent an email alert about the Bellevue and Newport threats around 10:50 a.m., and both stores were evacuated as a precaution.
Around 12:40 p.m., Bellevue police said the stores had been “checked, cleared, and reopened.”
While police investigated, a few police cars could be seen outside of the Newport Kroger while employees and customers stood far away from the building.
Bellevue and Erlanger police said they believe these threats are part of a nationwide hoax that has been going on in the past few months. Bellevue police also said they have looped the FBI in on the situation.
A Kroger spokesperson said they are aware of the “suspicious activity” at several Kroger locations in the Tri-State area.
“The safety and well-being of our associates and customers are our top priority,” the Kroger spokesperson said. “We are working closely with local law enforcement and the FBI to investigate similar threats that have taken place around the country at many retail stores.”
About the Author