Etna Woman Allegedly Made Bomb Threats to Get Time with Boyfriend

An Etna woman is now facing a felony charge after allegedly calling in bomb threats so her boyfriend wouldn't have to go to work.

Kayla Blake allegedly made the first bomb threat to the Puritan Medical Products plant in Pittsfield at around 9 AM Thursday, September 23. The call was made to the Maine State Police, with the caller saying they were going to place a bomb near the North Main Street facility. Police say the same woman called two hours later, stating that she intended to place four pipe bombs near the plant.

Maine State Police notified local authorities and traced the call to an Etna neighborhood. An investigation led them to Blake, who admitted that she made the calls and that there were no bombs planted near the facility. Her reason, according to police, was that she wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend. He works at the facility, and she thought the bomb threats would give him the day off. Blake was arrested and charged with a felony count of terrorizing and she was taken to the Somerset County Jail. Her bail was set at $1,500, with a condition that she have no contact with Puritan Medical Products.

Puritan Medical Products manufactures testing swabs, including those used in COVID-19 testing. They have two facilities in Pittsfield, which are located close to each other. Because of the proximity of the buildings, both plants were evacuated. According to the Morning Sentinel, that included people working the first shift, who were sent home, and people due to arrive for the second shift, who were called and told not to come to work. In all, about 400 people were affected by the bogus threats.