BUCKHANNON – A West Virginia woman was arrested Saturday for allegedly threatening to bomb St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Joyce Wahl, 39, no home address listed, was arrested March 26 for making terroristic threats, a felony.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Deputy Cole Bender with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, March 26, Bender responded to St. Joseph’s Hospital regarding an incident involving Wahl.
Bender noted he had previously encountered Wahl on Alexander Road in reference to a domestic dispute. When he arrived at the hospital, staff informed him Wahl allegedly stated she was going to “bomb this place and kill everyone inside,” according to the police report.
After collecting statements from the hospital staff who had witnessed her making the threats, Bender located Wahl, who was walking along Brushy Fork Road. When Bender arrested her, Wahl allegedly told Bender she “wanted to burn the place to the ground,” referring to the hospital, the complaint says.
She also asked Bender, “Isn’t that freedom of speech?” according to the file.
Bender placed her under arrest and transported her to the sheriff’s office for processing.
Upshur County Magistrate Mark Davis set bail at $25,000 cash only. Wahl remained incarcerated in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail as of Monday evening, according to the West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.
The penalty for a conviction of making terroristic threats is imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not less than one nor more than three years, a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $25,000 or both.
