Oakdale police responded at 9:49 a.m. to a bomb threat at Carmike Cinemas Oakdale 20.

The threat was reported Friday morning by an employee who told Washington County dispatch that several Carmike theaters received the bomb threat, a spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. Firefighters and police responded to the theater, and have since cleared.

The bomb threat was general in nature and was initially received by the Carmike corporate office, Oakdale Community Affairs Officer Michelle Stark said.

"It was a general threat," she said. "There was no specific location or time frame given. The police department did not receive credible information that the threat was specific to Oakdale."

Police will conduct a general investigation on the initial call to see where it leads, Stark said. In doing that, police will attempt to rule out any type of foul play.

A lot of these types of threats fall on the management of the theaters to report anything suspicious to police, she said.

"In this day and age of homeland security, everyone needs to be cognizant of their surroundings," Stark said. "If people see something suspicious, they should report it to the business and to police to make sure there isn't a threat to public safety.

"In this case, the theater did everything right," she continued. "They called it in and put people on alert."

Carmike's corporate office reported the incident to the FBI after receiving a voicemail Friday morning. The message was left on Thursday from someone claiming to work for a contractor that provides janitorial services to Carmike Cinemas, according to the Associated Press.

An FBI spokesman told the Associated Press that agents are investigating the matter. There are 236 Carmike theaters in 35 states.

The Oakdale theater will remain open for showings.

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