Derby woman arrested after bomb scare in NE Wichita

Last Update: 6/29 6:21 pm

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WICHITA, Kansas – A woman was taken into custody in Derby after police linked her to a bomb threat made at a Social Security building in Wichita Monday morning.

Thankfully, the threats turned out to be only those. But it meant a lot of work for authorities and some frightening moments for the suspect’s neighbors.

Wichita bomb squad members blew up a suspicious device taken from the suspect’s home. It turned out to be nothing, but because it wasn’t known what might be inside the residence, Buckner Street was blocked off for more than five hours as authorities prepped the area.

Derby police say they are just grateful for the help on the call.

"You saw the number of people that were down here,” said Capt. Doug Chambers with the Derby Police Department. “We had assistance from Wichita, the county. Obviously puts a strain on our resources for handling routine calls."

The call that began this story was made in Wichita around 9 a.m. Monday. The suspect walked into the Social Security Administration building on E. 32^nd St. N. and made threats, saying she had explosives. She then took off and her car was traced to Derby. She was arrested at about 10 a.m.

When neighbors like Norma Lewis first saw police, they didn’t think anything of it.

"I thought they are trying to get the speeders off of Buckner,” Lewis said. “And then he ran over here, got out of his car, took his rifle out, put it on top of his car and I thought, ‘whoa, this is bad.’"

Other neighbors like Jesse Shank returned home in the afternoon not knowing anything had gone on in the morning.

"Real surprised,” Shank said. “I was kind of shocked. I thought I knew everyone in the neighborhood. I didn't expect a thing like that."

They were frightening threats that thankfully turned out to be nothing, but they certainly turned Monday into anything but a normal day for the normally quiet Derby street.

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