FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — Franklin police have secured a senior care facility in Franklin after an employee found a suspicious device on the property Saturday morning.
Authorities were called to NHC Place Cool Springs at 211 Cool Springs Boulevard at 7:15 p.m. after an employee discovered the device at the end of her shift.
Responding officers found what appeared to be a bomb, or improvised explosive device, inside of an another employee’s car, police said.
About 60 patients of 220 were relocated to other parts of the facility deemed safe by authorities while they investigated.
Bomb specialists from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation worked to safeguard the device.
At 3:30 p.m., Franklin police said the situation was secure and there was no longer a risk to the facility.
Authorities served a federal arrest warrant on suspect and convicted felon Mitchell Hunter Oakes.
Franklin police say he has a violent history and extensive knowledge of bomb making and weapons.
ATF, TBI, THP and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office served the federal arrest warrant on Oakes, who was taken into custody without incident. The Chattanooga Police Department bomb squad, Van Buren County and Knox County Sheriff’s Offices provided additional support to the situation. The individual’s court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12 in the Middle Judicial District of Tennessee.
Anyone with additional information about this crime should contact the ATF at (800) ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867). Information can also be sent to ATF via the mobile app www.reportit.com by using the Nashville Field Division as the location.
Courtesy: Franklin Police Department
News 2 spoke with Stan Hardcastle, who said his mother is currently inside the facility.
She told him that she is locked out of her room and that [the facility] really didn’t tell the patients anything other than they had to stay by the nurses station until they were cleared to go back to their rooms.
“When you’ve heard that there was a disgruntled employee, you don’t really know what to expect,” Hardcastle told News 2. “My mother is 98-years-old and she had broken her hip a month ago and she’s scheduled to go home about an hour ago, so she’s not happy at all.”
Hardcastle arrived at the facility this afternoon to pick up his mother. He said police were already on the scene when he attempted to pull into the building’s parking lot and they informed him of the situation.
“Hopefully the police can get this package and get it resolved or dissolved or whatever so that everybody can get back to normal,” he said.