MARION/CARTERVILLE – A woman who works at Little Treasures Child Development Center has been arrested for making threats toward both locations in Marion and Carterville.
According to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, the employee identified as Jerica L. Ogden is lodged in the Williamson County Jail charged with Making a Terrorist Threat – a Class X felony.
Around 1:10 Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office received a report that Little Treasurers had received inappropriate and alarming text messages to a business phone. The messages were not specific to any threat and the organization has numerous business locations spanning multiple counties.
Then around 7:20 Thursday morning, sheriff’s deputies responded to Little Treasures on Old Route 13 in Carterville after getting a report of threatening text messages that were discovered to have been sent to the businesses phones at their locations on Old Route 13 and Marion throughout the prior evening.
While deputies were on scene, another message was received at both locations stating “Today watch urselfs.”
Deputies remained on scene as an abundance of caution. Investigators began the process of attempting to locate the source of the messages.
Two additional text messages were received at 9:43 a.m. which included a bomb threat.
As a result, both facilities were evacuated and personnel and children were relocated to a safe location. Additionally, fire and EMS were staged nearby while explosive detection K9’s were deployed.
K9 searches were negative for explosives at both locations and the facilities were released to staff. After the facilities were released to staff, six additional text messages were received.
During the course of the investigation, detectives developed information which led them to Ogden, who worked at the Marion location. Ogden was interviewed by investigators and confessed to sending the messages to the Little Treasures facilities. She was then charged with Making a Terrorist Threat – a Class X felony – and lodged in the Williamson County Jail.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Marion Police Department, West Frankfort Police Department, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Secretary of State Police, Illinois State Police, ATF, FBI, and Williamson County State’s Attorney Ted Hampson for their assistance in this matter.
