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University of Missouri-Rolla student apprehended - News Release

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Susi Kumar Ventramolla

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- What at first looked like a potential case of terrorism at the University of Missouri-Rolla turned out to be a despondent international student making bogus threats, authorities said.

Still, those threats threw this south-central Missouri town into a brief panic Tuesday. Charges were filed Wednesday against the student, 22-year-old Sujithkumar Venkatramolla, Phelps County prosecutor Courtney George said. He was charged with two counts of first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer and one count each of armed criminal action, resisting arrest, false report of a bomb threat and making terrorist threats.

MIssouri-Rolla spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz said Venkatramolla is a civil engineering student from Nazambad, India. She was not aware of any previous disciplinary issues involving him.

"Thankfully, this is a false alarm," chancellor John F. Carney III said.

Interim Police Chief Mark Kearse said the student was apparently depressed over grades.

The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when the suspect walked into the Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building waving a paper bag and holding a knife, saying he had a bomb and anthrax, interim Police Chief Mark Kearse said.

When the man refused to drop the knife, a university officer shot him with a stun gun.

A white, powdery substance was found on the man and near a desk in a room in the civil engineering building. But preliminary tests showed the substance was nothing more than powdered sugar, said Lt. Col. David Boyle of the Missouri National Guard's 7th Civil Support Team at Fort Leonard Wood. Extensive searches found no trace of any explosives.

The substance was sent to a lab for further testing. "We personally expect those to come back with similar results," Boyle said.

The civil engineering building is open 24 hours a day. Authorities said it was not uncommon for students and faculty to be there in the wee hours of the morning studying or working in labs.

Twenty-three people who were either in the building or came into contact with the suspect were immediately quarantined in a nearby physics building. By mid-afternoon, all 23 -- eight students, a faculty member and emergency workers who responded to the call -- were allowed to leave. None underwent decontamination procedures because they never showed signs of illness and believed from the outset the powder was not dangerous, authorities said.

Venkatramolla was taken to Phelps County Regional Medical Center for decontamination before being taken to a holding facility at the Rolla Police Department, Kearse said.

The 5,850-student technological research and engineering campus was shut down for the day. A Catholic grade school near campus also was closed.

Stoltz said classes resumed Wednesday.

Police found a four-page note in which the student threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said. He declined to discuss other details of the note.

The suspect lived in an off-campus apartment and authorities interviewed his roommate, Mayor Bill Jenks said, although he would not provide details. He said no one else would be charged.

Maxwell Klein, 20, a sophomore engineering student from St. Charles, said class work at the university can be difficult. Still, he couldn't understand how a student could apparently go so far over the edge.

"There's a lot of pressure and it can be stressful -- you'll have times where you'll have multiple tests in one day or one week," Klein said. "But to have something like this happen is hard to believe."

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On the Net:

http://www.umr.edu/

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Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Kansas City and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- What at first looked like a potential case of terrorism at the University of Missouri-Rolla turned out to be a despondent international student making bogus threats, authorities said.

Still, those threats threw this south-central Missouri town into a brief panic Tuesday. Charges were expected to be filed against the student early Wednesday, Phelps County prosecutor Courtney George said.

"Thankfully, this is a false alarm," chancellor John F. Carney III said.

The suspect's name was not released, and police would not disclose his nationality. Kearse said the student was apparently depressed over grades.

The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when the graduate student walked into the Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building waving a paper bag and holding a knife, saying he had a bomb and anthrax, interim Police Chief Mark Kearse said.

When the man refused to drop the knife, a university officer shot him with a stun gun.

A white, powdery substance was found on the man and near a desk in a room in the civil engineering building. But preliminary tests showed the substance was nothing more than powdered sugar, said Lt. Col. David Boyle of the Missouri National Guard's 7th Civil Support Team at Fort Leonard Wood. Extensive searches found no trace of any explosives.

The substance was sent to a lab for further testing. "We personally expect those to come back with similar results," Boyle said.

The civil engineering building is open 24 hours a day. Authorities said it was not uncommon for students and faculty to be there in the wee hours of the morning studying or working in labs.

Twenty-three people who were either in the building or came into contact with the suspect were immediately quarantined in a nearby physics building. By mid-afternoon, all 23 -- eight students, a faculty member and emergency workers who responded to the call -- were allowed to leave. None underwent decontamination procedures because they never showed signs of illness and believed from the outset the powder was not dangerous, authorities said.

The suspect was taken to Phelps County Regional Medical Center for decontamination before being taken to a holding facility at the Rolla Police Department, Kearse said.

The 5,850-student technological research and engineering campus was shut down for the day. A Catholic grade school near campus also was closed.

Campus spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz said classes would resume Wednesday.

Police found a four-page note in which the student threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said. He declined to discuss other details of the note.

The suspect lived in an off-campus apartment and authorities interviewed his roommate, Mayor Bill Jenks said, although he would not provide details. He said no one else would be charged.

Maxwell Klein, 20, a sophomore engineering student from St. Charles, said class work at the university can be difficult. Still, he couldn't understand how a student could apparently go so far over the edge.

"There's a lot of pressure and it can be stressful -- you'll have times where you'll have multiple tests in one day or one week," Klein said. "But to have something like this happen is hard to believe."

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On the Net:

http://www.umr.edu/

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Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Kansas City and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

  ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- A University of Missouri-Rolla graduate student claiming to possess anthrax and a bomb threw this south-central Missouri community into a panic Tuesday, but police suspect it was nothing more than powdered sugar and an empty threat by a depressed student.

  Susi Kumar Ventramolla, 22 according to Interim Police Chief Mark Kearse is an international student, and was despondent over his grades.

  "Thankfully this is a false alarm," said Chancellor John Carney III, adding that the downside was that the university lost "a precious day of classes."

  Campus spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz said classes would resume Wednesday.

  Kearse said charges could be filed later Tuesday.

  Preliminary tests on a white, powdery substance found on the student showed it was powdered sugar, said Lt. Col. David Boyle of the Missouri National Guard's 7th Civil Support Team at Fort Leonard Wood. The substance was also found near a desk in a room of the Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building where the student was arrested.

  The substance was sent to a laboratory for further tests, Boyle said. "We personally expect those to come back with similar results," he added.

  Twenty-three people -- eight students, a faculty member and emergency workers who responded to the call -- who had been quarantined because they could have come in contact with the substance were released. Ray Massey, ambulance director at Phelps County Regional Medical Center, said none showed signs of illness.

  The incident started shortly after 2:30 a.m. when police were called about a man making a threat. They arrived to find Ventramolla holding a paper bag and a knife. He said he had planted a bomb and said he had anthrax, Kearse said.

  When the man refused to drop the knife, a university police officer shot him with a stun gun, and the man was arrested.

  The 5,850-student technological research and engineering campus was shut down during the incident and classes were canceled for the day while officers investigated. A Catholic grade school near campus was also closed for the day.

Police found a four-page note in which Ventramolla threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said.

  The school spokesman Lance Feyh said Ventramolla was decontaminated and taken to a hospital before being taken to a holding facility at the Rolla Police Department, Kearse said.

  The Fort Leonard Wood Explosive Operations Division was investigating the possibility that a bomb may be in the engineering building. Kearse said authorities were still double-checking the building Tuesday afternoon to make sure a bomb wasn't there.

  "We have no hard evidence that there's anything wrong in the building, but we simply can't take a chance," Mayor William Jenks said. "We're taking a very cautious approach."

  The suspect lived in an off-campus apartment and authorities interviewed his roommate, Jenks said, although he would not provide details. He said no one else would be charged.

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  On the Net:

  http://www.umr.edu/

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  Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Kansas City and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia contributed to this report.

**Previous Story**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities say that a student's anthrax threat in a building at the University of Missouri-Rolla was "bogus."

Twenty-three people remain quarantined until authorities can determine whether they need to be decontaminated.

Early today police used a stun gun to subdue the unnamed foreign student who said he had a bomb and anthrax inside the school's civil engineering building. Authorities said at a late-morning news briefing that a white powdery substance the man had with him was probably not anthrax.

Police said the student was decontaminated and taken to a hospital before being locked up at Rolla police headquarters. Charges are expected to be filed as soon as this afternoon.

A school spokesman described the man as an "international" student but not reveal his name or nationality.

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A Missouri National Guard team from Fort Leonard Wood is gathering samples to determine if the substance is hazardous.

Officials indicated that the substance probably was not anthrax, noting that no one who was exposed to the substance has shown any symptoms.

Classes were called off for the rest of the day but are expected to resume tomorrow.

Police say the student had a threatening note saying he would destroy the building.

Authorities believe he was distraught over grades, and that his state of mind may have led to the incident.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities say that a student's anthrax threat in a building at the University of Missouri-Rolla was "bogus."

Twenty-three people remain quarantined until authorities can determine whether they need to be decontaminated.

Early today police used a stun gun to subdue the unnamed foreign student who said he had a bomb and anthrax inside the school's civil engineering building. Authorities said at a late-morning news briefing that a white powdery substance the man had with him was probably not anthrax.

Police said the student was decontaminated and taken to a hospital before being locked up at Rolla police headquarters. Charges are expected to be filed as soon as this afternoon.

A school spokesman described the man as an "international" student but not reveal his name or nationality.

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A Missouri National Guard team from Fort Leonard Wood is gathering samples to determine if the substance is hazardous.

Officials indicated that the substance probably was not anthrax, noting that no one who was exposed to the substance has shown any symptoms.

Classes were called off for the rest of the day but are expected to resume tomorrow.

Police say the student had a threatening note saying he would destroy the building.

Authorities believe he was distraught over grades, and that his state of mind may have led to the incident.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- Nearly two dozen people were quarantined Tuesday after a white, powdery substance was found on a student who claimed to have a bomb and threatened "terrorist-type" actions at the University of Missouri-Rolla, officials said.

The man, described as a graduate student depressed about his grades, also claimed to have anthrax, according to police. School officials said "possible bomb materials" were found when he was taken into custody.

Twenty-three people were being quarantined Tuesday morning until authorities could determine whether they needed to be decontaminated. A Missouri National Guard team from Fort Leonard Wood was gathering samples to determine if the substance was hazardous, said Lt. Col. David Boyle of the 7th Civil Support Team.

"If we had to make an assessment right now, our assessment is that this is going to be a bogus or phony situation," said Acting Police Chief Mark Kearse.

The 5,850-student technological research and engineering campus in south-central Missouri was shut down during the incident and classes were canceled for the day while officers investigated.

Kearse said that when police arrived around 2:30 a.m. at the university's civil engineering building the student was holding a knife and that he held up a bag and said: "This is a bomb."

Officials indicated that the substance probably was not anthrax, noting that no one who was exposed to the substance has had any symptoms.

"If it was anthrax they would have been displaying some symptoms," said Ray Massey, ambulance director at Phelps County Regional Medical Center.

Police used a stun gun to subdue him and found a four-page note in which the student threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said.

The man's identity and nationality were not released, though school spokesman Lance Feyh said he was an international student. The man was decontaminated and taken to a hospital before being taken to a holding facility at the Rolla Police Department, Kearse said.

Mayor William Jenks and Kearse said the student had been distraught over his grades, which may have led to the incident. Jenks said the student "had problems and was depressed."

The Fort Leonard Wood Explosive Operations Division was investigating the possibility that a bomb may be in the building.

"We have no hard evidence that there's anything wrong in the building but we simply can't take a chance," Jenks said. "We're taking a very cautious approach."

A nearby Catholic school also canceled classes.

Those exposed to the powder included a faculty member in whose lab the graduate student was found and eight students working nearby, said campus spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz. The remaining people exposed to the powder included emergency personnel who responded to the scene, she said.

Stoltz reiterated Kearse's belief that the student was "using the threat of terror to get attention."

"We believe the situation is completely under control," she said. "For now everybody's safe."

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On the Net:

http://www.umr.edu/

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Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Kansas City and Alan Scher Zagier in Columbia contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- A distraught graduate student claiming to have a bomb and anthrax sparked a police standoff in a classroom building Tuesday that shut down the University of Missouri-Rolla for several hours, officials said.

Nearly two dozen people, including a faculty member and eight other students, were being decontaminated after a white, powdery substance was found.

School officials said "possible bomb materials" were also found when the man was taken into custody. Officials described the man as a graduate student who was apparently depressed and upset about his grades.

The standoff started around 2:30 a.m. in a civil engineering building on campus.

Acting Police Chief Mark Kearse said that when police arrived, the student held up a bag and said: "This is a bomb." He was armed with a knife and also claimed to have anthrax, Kearse said.

Police used a stun gun to subdue him. They also found a four-page note in which the student threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said.

The Fort Leonard Wood Explosive Operations Division was investigating the possibility that a bomb may be in the building, and members of the Missouri National Guard were called to campus.

The man's identity and nationality were not released, though school spokesman Lance Feyh said he was an international student. The man was taken to a nearby hospital to determine if he was contaminated with anthrax, city spokesman Scott Grahl said.

Mayor William Jenks and Kearse said the student had been distraught over his grades, which may have led to the incident. Jenks said the student "had problems and was depressed."

The 5,850-student technological research and engineering school campus in south-central Missouri was shut down during the incident and classes were canceled for the day while officers investigated.

"We have no hard evidence that there's anything wrong in the building but we simply can't take a chance," Jenks said. "We're taking a very cautious approach."

Those exposed to the powder included a faculty member in whose lab the graduate student was found and eight students working nearby, said campus spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz. The remaining people exposed to the powder were emergency personnel who responded to the scene, she said. It wasn't yet clear what the substance was.

Stoltz reiterated Kearse's belief that the student was "using the threat of terror to get attention."

"We believe the situation is completely under control," she said. "For now everybody's safe."

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On the Net:

UMR: http://www.umr.edu/

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- The student arrested Tuesday after threatening "terrorist-type" actions at the University of Missouri-Rolla was depressed and anxious over his school work, Rolla officials said.

The suspect, a graduate student at the school, was arrested and the school's civil engineering building was evacuated after he was found with a white, powdery substance and "possible bomb materials," school officials said.

Acting Police Chief Mark Kearse said when police arrived the student was holding a knife, held up a bag and said: "This is a bomb." He also claimed to have anthrax.

Police used a stun gun to subdue the student. Officials declined to release the student's name or any identifying details.

Police also found a note with the student threatening to destroy the building, Kearse said.

Mayor William Jenks and Kearse said the student had been distraught over his grades, which may have led to the incident.

The Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Building was evacuated and 23 people who were inside the building when the suspect was arrested were being decontaminated in tents set up on campus.

The campus in south-central Missouri was shut down during the episode as police surrounded the building about 2:30 a.m.

Jenks said only the civil engineering building was involved.

"We have no hard evidence that there's anything wrong in the building but we simply can't take a chance," Jenks said. "We're taking a very cautious approach."

Classes were canceled until at least 10 a.m. CST while officers investigated. A nearby Catholic school also canceled classes.

The Fort Leonard Wood Explosive Operations Division was investigating the possibility that a bomb may be in the building.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

**PREVIOUS STORY**

(KMOV) - Classes at the University of Missouri-Rolla are cancelled until 10 a.m. after a threat is made on the school's campus.

We are still working to determine the nature of the threat but we're told it happened overnight at the civil engineering building.

Authorities say the student who made the threat is in custody but the early classes have been cancelled as a precaution.

There were no injuries.  We have a News 4 crew on the way to the scene.