University Police arrested a Gainesville man Tuesday for making a bomb threat at UF Health Shands Hospital, the second incident of its kind to stir the UF campus in a little more than a month.
Officers arrested 47-year-old John Adam Hill, of Gainesville, on charges of threatening to discharge a destructive device after he claimed he had a bomb on his person in the Shands Cancer Center, according to an arrest report.
Just after midnight, Hill went to Shands to see his girlfriend, who was admitted to the hospital earlier that day, said UPD spokesman Maj. Brad Barber.
Staff didn’t allow Hill into the hospital for unknown reasons. Hill then told Shands security officials he had a bomb on him and could ignite it at any time, Barber said. Hill mentioned he’d drank two beers.
After security contacted police, officers responded to the hospital and arrested Hill, Barber said. He was booked into the Alachua County Jail at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, where he remained as of press time in lieu of a $15,000 bond.
The arrest falls about five weeks after a UF student was arrested when police reported he made threats at a fraternity rush event.
Despite the close proximity of the two incidents, Barber said bomb threats have been historically rare.
“Contrary to two events occurring in a relatively short amount of time,” he said, “it’s not something we see very often.”
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/31/2013 under the headline "Second recent UF bomb threat diffused"
