“The explosive threat hoax on Saturday at the Mall was timely,” according to Peter Jirous, Regional Property Manager with the Dial Companies in Omaha.
Dial Property Management is responsible for the Mall in Hays.

When asked about security cameras at the Mall that might have helped catch someone responsible for the hoax, Jirous said, “The security plan at the Mall is not public information.”

He did say that he was very pleased with how the situation was handled on Saturday. “There was a policeman already in the Mall that day,” he told Eagle News. “He made the call not to evacuate and police did a good job of communicating to mall tenants and staff. We already have a security manual and had recently updated it and had attended a Transportation Security Administration meeting last week. Our mall manager had been updated on the security manual changes. She was out of town but was in communication with staff and did a fine job.”

According to a media release from Hays Police, a juvenile notified a Hays Police Officer, who was at The Mall, that there was a message in the men’s bathroom about an explosive device. Units from the Hays Police Department and the Hays Fire Department responded to The Mall. Staff for The Mall was notified. A search of The Mall was completed and no suspicious items were located. Evidence at this time indicates that this was a prank.