Ephrata man charged for alleged bomb threat

EPHRATA — A Ephrata man who is accused of phoning in a bomb threat at an Ephrata motel claims he heard from an unknown man that there might be a bomb at the motel and he was only warning the business about what he heard.

Grant County prosecutors charged Ryan Wohlfeil, 38, of Ephrata, in Grant County Superior Court with threats to bomb or injure property.

In the early morning hours of March 11 the Ephrata Police Department received a report of a bomb threat at the Best Western on Basin Street Southwest. The reporting party said she received a phone call from her former employee, Wohlfeil, who, she claims, told her “there may, or may not, be a bomb in the motel.”

Wohlfeil allegedly said nothing else and hung up the phone. Although the motel employee advised she didn’t believe there was an actual bomb, she walked through the business just to be sure. As an Ephrata officer was on the phone with the motel employee, Wohlfeil reportedly contacted MACC Dispatch and claimed he was intoxicated and heard about a bomb threat at the Best Western.

Wohlfeil was contacted at an apartment in the 1500 Basin Street Southwest and questioned by police. Wohlfeil said during his shift on March 10 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 a 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 claimed he was walking along some railroad tracks in Ephrata that same day and heard from an unknown male “there may be a bomb at the BW.” Wohlfeil admitted to making the call and saying there “may, or may not, be a bomb” in the motel and said he hung up because he didn’t want to get in trouble after having 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.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.