Ephrata man sentenced for making false bomb report

EPHRATA — An Ephrata man will be spending time in jail for making a false report about a bomb being at a hotel in Ephrata.

Ryan Wohlfeil, 38, of Ephrata, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to false reporting. Wohlfeil received a 364-day jail sentence, with 304 of the days suspended for two years. He was initially charged with threats to bomb or injure property, but the charge was amended by the prosecution.

Wohlfeil’s sentence stems from an early-morning incident on March 11 when the Ephrata Police Department received a report of a bomb threat at the Best Western in Ephrata. The caller said one of her former employees, Wohlfeil, called her and told her “there may, or may not, be a bomb in the motel,” according to court documents.

After he made the report Wohlfeil didn’t say anything else and hung up the phone. Wohlfeil later contacted MACC Dispatch and said he was intoxicated and heard about a bomb threat at the Best Western. Wohlfeil was later located at an apartment in the 1500 block of Basin Street Southwest and questioned by police. Wohlfeil claimed during his March 10 shift at the Best Western he defecated on himself and left work.

“Wohlfeil did not explain to me why he did not return to the BW (Best Western) after cleaning himself up,” wrote an EPD officer. “Wohlfeil then told me he was fired earlier in the day, on (March 10), and his manager had not returned his phone calls so he could explain himself. Wohlfeil also told me his manager had trespassed him from BW when he was fired.”

Wohlfeil went on to tell police he was walking along some railroad tracks in Ephrata later that day and an unknown male told him “there may be a bomb at the BW.” He admitted to making the call to the Best Western and making the comment about the bomb, but he said he hung up because he didn’t want to get into trouble, as he had been previously trespassed from the business.

“Wohlfeil stated he wasn’t trying to scare anyone, but felt he needed to pass on the information that was told to him. I asked Wohlfeil why he didn’t report the information he had to law enforcement earlier in the day. Wohlfeil, again, could not give me an answer,” wrote an officer.