A Coloma man is facing charges after making a bomb threat at the Fifth Third Bank in Coloma Township on Thursday. The Coloma Township Police Department says a call came around 9:20 a.m. that a man had gone into the bank and told employees he had a bomb and that everyone needed to get out. Arriving officers found the man standing outside the bank. When he saw them, he laid down on the ground with his hands behind his back. The suspect has been identified as John Richard LaPlante, Junior. He told officers he might have a bomb on him or there may be a bomb inside the bank. Coloma Township officers, along with Michigan State Police troopers and Berrien County Sherriff’s deputies, closed down the area and evacuated all the nearby businesses. The county bomb squad was brought in with a K9 and no bomb was found. LaPlante was taken into custody and lodged at the Berrien County Jail on a charge of making a false bomb threat. Police say there is no threat to the community.
