Longview man arrested following alleged bomb threat at Woodland business

UPDATE: Brando L. Vail’s case was dismissed without prejudice — meaning it could be re-filed at a later date — Jan. 24, 2019, in Cowlitz County Superior Court, online court records show.

An employee of Walt’s Wholesale Meats in Woodland was arrested Thursday after allegedly posting a photo of a fake bomb on Facebook and stating that the business would be closed.

The company notified the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office of the post, which depicted a Longview man holding what appeared to be a bomb and who had written “Walt’s Meats Company will be closed tomorrow. Thank you for your loyal meat buying. Have a nice Halloween,” according to a news release from the agency.

The post went up shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. The man who made the post was identified as 42-year-old Brando L. Vail, who works at the business. Fellow employees saw the post and brought it to management’s attention, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities conducted a security sweep of the business.

Vail was scheduled to work Thursday morning but did not show up for his shift. The sheriff’s office, with the assistance of the Longview Police Department, located Vail at a residence in Longview, along with the fake bomb seen in the photo, the press release states.

Vail reportedly told police he was intoxicated when he made the post and that it was a joke. He was arrested on suspicion of making threats to bomb or injure property.