Bomb threats become more bothersome as finals approach, Pitt students say

OAKLAND, Pa. — Many University of Pittsburgh students thanked campus police for their hard work during the rash of bomb threats by presenting them with a banner signed by hundreds of students on Friday.

However, some students said the threats have become so bothersome that they’re leaving campus.

“I can’t take it anymore,” sophomore Eroc Guzak said. “The bomb threats are getting ridiculous. I got called out of the Towers last night at 2:30 a.m. and I had a bio test this morning. They’re just disrupting everything.”

Guzak said he’s moving out of his dorm and will take his finals online from home.

Some students, who are leaving the dorms like Guzak, are checking into local hotels instead of going home.

“My mom called and made me a reservation at one of the hotels down the street. I’ll stay there for a couple of days so I can get my work done without the hassle of the threats,” one Pitt student said.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., issued the following statement Friday on the string of bomb threats received at the University of Pittsburgh:

"I am deeply concerned about the unprecedented threats made against the University of Pittsburgh and its students. Since mid-February, this menacing stream of bomb threats has disrupted the daily lives and the sense of security for students, faculty, school officials and the surrounding community. I am grateful to the local, state and federal law enforcement officials who have devoted countless hours and resources to this investigation, and I will remain in contact with them until this situation is resolved. I support them in their efforts and stand ready to provide any additional assistance they may need."

Meanwhile, the Cambria County couple currently at the center of the bomb threat scandal said some of the charges they’re facing have been dropped.

Channel 11’s Alan Jennings spoke with Katherine Ann McCloskey and she said the indecent exposure charges against Seamus Johnston have been dropped.

A spokesperson for the Cambria County District Attorney’s office said DA Kelly Callahan was not available to comment Friday.

Seamus Johnston’s name surfaced as a person of interest when the FBI discovered he had an ongoing feud at Pitt Johnstown, officials said. Johnston was expelled for using a men’s bathroom and charged with indecent exposure.

Federal agents recently raided their apartment and seized computers and other equipment.

“There’s no evidence of any association with those bomb threats because I had nothing to do with them,” Johnston said.

Johnston and McCloskey said they will now cooperate with the investigation.

WPXI