Missouri State Highway Patrol trains to respond to potential threats

Possible charges await 22-year-old James Lolley after he allegedly made a threat to Boone Hospital Thursday night.

The hospital was in lockdown for two and a half hours before the threat was cleared.

Friday morning Columbia Police Department announced officers had arrested Lolley and he bonded out of the Boone County Jail.

Threats like these are apparently getting more common, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. These kinds of threats are typically aimed at drawing a large police presence to a specific area.

Cpl. Justin Ewing said the patrol goes through intense scenario-based training programs for situations like the one at the hospital.

“Every officer goes through an active threat training with Missouri State Highway Patrol and we do that on a yearly basis. We talk about response to active shooter events or things of that nature, so with that, we do talk about clearing buildings and searching for someone who may be posing a threat to a business such as a hospital,” said Ewing.

Boone Hospital declined to comment on its training and security protocols.

The patrol aided in the response to a similar situation at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia on July 30.