This story has been updated following the release of new information.
Juneau Police Department officers made an arrest following bomb threat made aboard an Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Wednesday morning, said a JPD spokesperson.
Adam Jason Bahr, 39, of Juneau was arrested for assault and criminal trespass and taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center, said Lt. Krag Campbell in a news release.
At approximately 6:20 a.m, a suspect drove past the entry control point and aboard the MV LeConte at a high rate of speed, bypassing the ship’s purser and nearly hitting another vehicle, according to a Department of Transportation and Public Facilities news release. Employees called 911 immediately, Campbell said.
“Once the truck was stationary, an unidentified man, later confirmed to be unticketed, exited the vehicle and was heard by crew “muttering about a bomb and firearms’ while trying to get back into the vehicle he had seemingly locked,” said Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesperson Andy Mills in the news release. “Crew backed immediately away and executed the response plan to secure the vessel and make a plan to evacuate any personnel and passengers.”
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The bomb comment was not a direct threat, Campbell said, but Bahr allegedly threatened to pull a firearm on employees if they didn’t give him space before reaching threateningly into his jacket.
JPD arrived on-scene at approximately 6:35 a.m., arresting Bahr and beginning sweeps of the vehicle and vessel. No bomb was present on the vessel.
“Bahr was unarmed at the time of contact. Bahr told police that he didn’t have a firearm and it was just a joke,” Campbell said. “Bahr also claimed to be a federal agent, which he is not.”
No immediate threat was detected in the truck at that time, Mills said. The captain of the LeConte halted the crew’s evacuation, as additional assets from the Coast Guard arrived and assisted in sweeping the vessel and surrounding area for additional unidentified threats.
An animal control specialist arrived at 7:30 a.m. to assist with a dog left in the vehicle by Bahr, Mills said. At about 8 a.m., Bahr’s vehicle was towed off the vessel. The vessel has subsequently been cleared by the Coast Guard as secure.
The LeConte was the only ferry present at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal Wednesday morning, scheduled to sail that morning. The nine bookings scheduled to sail to Pelican, the LeConte’s next destination,have been rescheduled for Feb. 13, Mills said.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
