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Zachary Keys, of Lehighton, admitted to writing a message on the business's bathroom wall, prompting the evacuation of approximately 100 employees from Westport Axle on Congdon Hill Drive in Lower Macungie Township Tuesday, Feb. 22, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The message was written in black ink and said, "Bomb 12.00 to Blow." TNOnline.com reports citing an affidavit of probable cause.
Troopers responded to the facility around 11 a.m., where Keys initially denied knowing who made the threat, PSP said in a release.
He later admitted to writing the threatening message after agreeing to take a polygraph test and failing, PSP said.
Keys told troopers that he wrote the message on the bathroom wall the day before to see "how the company would respond to safety procedures."
He had only been with the company for about a week before the incident, according to the news outlet.
Keys was subsequently charged with the threat to use weapons of mass destruction and disorderly conduct.
He was released from custody after posting a $10,000 bond on Thursday, Feb. 24, according to court records. His preliminary hearing was held on Thursday, March 3 and his formal arraignment is scheduled for April 19, records show.
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