Update 9:20 a.m. June 23, 2022
Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said Thursday morning at 9 a.m. that law enforcement has identified a person of interest related to shooting threats texted to Ritz Instrument Transformers employees Monday and Wednesday.
"The investigators have made some progress on this untraceable phone service. We have a person of interest, and since yesterday, this person of interest has been arrested and put in jail on something that had nothing to do with this incident at [Ritz]. It was completely different," Cleveland said.
"One of the texts mentioned that they were going to shoot the upper administrative part first then shoot black people — which is ironic because the person of interest we have is a black person."
Cleveland declined to identify the person of interest, saying he doesn't want law enforcement to "tip our hand."
"We have a long way to go with the electronic technology aspect and we’re seeking the help of the GBI of course," he said. "We don’t hesitate to do that. My guys made a lot of progress with no more than what we had to begin with; I can tell you that."
Original report below.
Story published 4 p.m. June, 22, 2022. This story has been edited to reflect new information regarding the message sent over by dispatch.
The Lavonia-area manufacturing center Ritz Instrument Transformers was placed on lockdown for most of Monday, June 20 and again Wednesday, June 22 following reports of terroristic threats.
According to Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland, two Ritz employees received threatening texts from an unknown number Monday.
“Two different workers out there got a text that somebody was coming to shoot the place up,” Cleveland said Tuesday. “It came off one of those phones that you can’t trace back. We have called the GBI because if it can be done, they’re going to be able to do it.”
Cleveland said on Monday, law enforcement questioned a man who Ritz “let go not too long ago” but he was not placed under arrest.
“It wasn’t him,” Cleveland said.
“We were [at Ritz] Monday most the day. At one time, Georgia State Patrol agents were up there, we were up there at shift changing time but nothing’s happened.
“GBI is going to try to find out who in the world sent those texts. It’s just a crazy time right now. It’s just crazy.”
On Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m., dispatch reported that a supervisor at Ritz received similar threatening texts indicating that “shots would be fired” and targeted at black individuals.
Law enforcement had Ritz under lockdown and “the location was secured” Wednesday at press time. This story will be updated.