PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Answers for the Valentine's Day bomb threat at Norfolk Naval Shipyard have been elusive so far.
On February 14, 2019, threatening messages were scrawled on bathroom stalls causing the shipyard to go into a total lock-down.
For NCIS and everyone involved, it's no laughing matter.
For five hours on Valentine's Day, some 11,000 workers at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard were idle. That's 55,000 man-hours where no work was performed.
"Every time a threat comes in, NCIS has to spend considerable investigative resources," said Naval Criminal Investigative Service Assistant Special Agent in Charge for National Security Mark Franco. "We have our shipyard and base security partners that have to spend significant time and resources responding appropriately. Just as importantly, our Navy and civilian workforce partners at the shipyard are losing a significant amount of time and money due to the work stoppages associated with these threats. That's why it's so important."
It's similar to another bomb threat at the the shipyard in May, 2018, when four messages were left over ten days.
"NCIS caught that person and that person was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison," said Franco.
Franco believes this case will end up the same way.
"Actually, in this case, we've had several good leads," he said. "I'm confident partnering with the public. We're going to find a resolution to this case as we did a similar case a year ago."
The reward has now been bumped up, from $1,000 to $2,500. Tips can be anonymous.
Anybody with information is encouraged to contact the NCIS by phone or online. Updates in the case will be posted to NCIS's official Twitter and Facebook accounts.