20-year-old man charged in Franklin Walmart bomb scare
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According to a criminal complaint, 20 year-old Aaron Ziehr texted his sister suicidal threats on September 25. He told her he had a bomb strapped to his chest at the Walmart in Franklin and if the police were called, the bomb would detonate.
Court documents say the sister told West Allis Police her brother had ongoing mental health issues and she was concerned for his safety. She then gave police Ziehr’s phone number.
Franklin Dispatch also received a call from a Crisis Hot Line stating they received messages from Ziehr’s phone number where he stated he had a bomb strapped to his chest with two hostages.
The Franklin Police Department then responded to the Walmart and evacuated the buildings. Officers spent a number of hours searching and securing the store to later verify there was no threat.
Early in the morning on September 26, Ziehr turned himself in at the West Allis Police Department.
He admitted to sending the text messages to his sister, saying he wanted to get a “rise” out of her. According to the criminal complaint, Ziehr told police he was in the Walmart parking lot on September 25 but never went inside the store and was never armed with a bomb.
If convicted of one count of bomb scare, Ziehr faces a up to a $10,000 fine and three and a half years in prison.