UMR recovers from bomb, anthrax threats
The student is in a Rolla jail, with bond set at $250,000.
Published March 2, 2007
A 22-year-old graduate student at UM-Rolla threatened to destroy the campus's civil engineering building Tuesday morning. UMR police arrested him following an altercation with officers.
The student, Sujithkumar Venkatramolla, was a graduate student in geotechnical engineering at the university and began his studies in fall 2006. He has been suspended from the school indefinitely, UMR spokesman Mary Helen Stolz said.
City of Rolla spokesman Scott Grahl said papers found in the student's possession offered a glimpse into the student's motives.
"There was a document, and the police chief was saying that it was two-to-four pages," he said. "It was with the individual at the time that he was apprehended. He mentioned in the document that he intended to blow up the Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering building and that there was a bomb in it."
Grahl said that according to information he received, the document also included the claim that Venkatramolla had anthrax and stated he wanted to end his own life.
Venkatramolla was also armed with a knife, Stolz said.
When UMR police confronted Venkatramolla, Grahl said he was putting up a fight.
"You would assume that would have to happen for them to use their Taser gun," he said. "He was resisting and putting up a fight, and that's why the UMR police officer had to Taser him in order to stop it."
Officials also found a white, powdery substance, which at the time could not be identified. Because the nature of the powder was still unknown, 23 individuals were detained in the Physics Building, which is located across the street from the civil engineering building. The substance has since been identified as powdered sugar.
By 2 p.m., the individuals had all been released. The people quarantined included eight students and one professor, as well as emergency medical personnel and members of law enforcement agencies who responded to the call. Officials' concerns were alleviated when none of those individuals exhibited any signs of illness.
"We do not feel that this is a terrorist threat of any type," Rolla police Capt. Mark Kearsee said. "We feel that this is a personal vendetta of one individual for his particular reasons."
But in a news conference, Kearsee also said that Venkatramolla's status as an international student would require an investigation to look at many different things "just to make everyone feel safe and secure." Venkatramolla is originally from India.
Initially, Venkatramolla was detained by Rolla police and UMR police. He was decontaminated and taken to the hospital, and then taken to Phelps County Jail, Stolz said.
Venkatramolla is being held on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, one count of armed criminal action, one count of resisting arrest, one count of false report of a bomb threat and one count of making terrorist threats, according to a news release by the Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney Courtney George.
Venkatramolla is currently being held in Phelps County Jail, in Rolla, with bond set at $250,000.
With authorities off the scene at the university, classes resumed normally Wednesday morning. Both day and evening classes were cancelled on Tuesday due to the situation's uncertainty.
"Everything was totally up in the air at that point," said UMR Chancellor John Carney. "It's clear that we just couldn't take the chance. It was an easy decision to make."
Students were notified of the cancellation through e-mails and announcements on the university's Web site. All non-essential employees were asked to remain at home.
The university held an open forum in the Havener Center on the UMR campus Wednesday at noon in response to Tuesday's events.
"We decided to have the public forum to give students, faculty and staff a chance to ask questions about what happened and how it was handled," Stolz said.
There were at least 50 people in attendance, Stolz said.
Carney, who returned to campus from Jefferson City Tuesday morning, was also present, as well as members of the UMR Student Life department and the Counseling and Academic Support department.
City officials in attendance included Rolla Mayor William Jenks, members of the UMR police department and representatives from both the city of Rolla police and fire departments.