Police: Bomb threat at drug store could be part of national hoax

BARRINGTON, R.I. — A Barrington pharmacy was evacuated and bomb sniffing dogs were called in Monday to search the store after police said workers received a bomb threat over the phone.

Barrington Police Chief John LaCross said they brought in K-9 units from the Rhode Island State Police and the state fire marshal's office to check out the Rite Aid on County Road, but that they didn't find anything suspicious.

LaCross called it a hoax.

LaCross said the caller had a heavy Middle Eastern accent and demanded pre-paid cards from the store and claimed there was a bomb in the building.

Police said the phone number was from an Internet-based phone service.

LaCross said it may have been part of an ongoing string of call-in threats against Rite Aid stores across the country.

NBC 10 found news stories of similar incidents in recent months at Rite Aid locations in other states, most notably a string of bomb threats at stores in Michigan.

In Barrington, workers and customers in the store were kept out and at a safe distance while authorities searched the building.

The store re-opened.

A gas station nearby was also closed for a short time as a precaution while police were at the scene.