Holiday Inn Bomb Threat Marks Clarksville's Third Scare in Nine Days

A bomb threat sent through an automated guest-messaging system at the Holiday Inn on Cracker Barrel Drive sent Clarksville police, fire crews, and EMS scrambling to the hotel Monday evening, only for investigators to determine no explosive device was ever present. The message warned that the building had 20 minutes to evacuate, but employees told officers they had noticed nothing out of the ordinary at the business before spotting the threat itself.

According to the Clarksville Police Department, responding agencies established operations around the hotel while Clarksville Fire Rescue and EMS units worked alongside patrol officers to clear the scene. Police said the reported threat appeared to be non-viable, and no explosive device was located in connection with the message. The department asked the public to avoid the area until the situation could be fully cleared, and it noted that no other information was available at the time of its update.

Police emphasized that business management, not the department itself, decides when a location should close, evacuate, or reopen. The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives following up on possible leads tied to the automated system that delivered the threat message.

Third Explosive Scare in Nine Days Rattles Clarksville

The Monday night incident was the third explosive-related scare to hit Clarksville in just nine days. On August 15, employees at the Goodwill Store on Needmore Road discovered a military-grade blasting cap inside a donated green bag, forcing a full evacuation of the store, as Hoodline previously reported. Fort Campbell Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians secured that device and hauled it back to the post for safe disposal, according to WKDZ.

Then, on August 20, emergency personnel responded to a digital bomb threat at the Planet Fitness on Fort Campbell Boulevard after a threat message was sent directly to an employee via text, according to Clarksville Online. That call brought multiple agencies to the gym before the threat was likewise determined not to be viable. Both the gym and hotel incidents point to a pattern of automated business communication channels being exploited to deliver hoax warnings.

Why Military EOD Teams Get Called In

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad serves as the primary Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit for both Clarksville and the surrounding county, per ClarksvilleNow.com. Because Clarksville sits directly adjacent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky — home of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division — military EOD units are routinely called in to assist civilian law enforcement whenever military-grade items turn up off-post, the outlet notes.

Local businesses have faced hoax bomb threats before. In 2019, an anonymous caller forced the evacuation of the Walmart Supercenter on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, with police at the time stressing that store management alone held the authority to decide whether to evacuate or reopen, according to a Clarksville Police Department Facebook post. Unintentional explosive scares have also cropped up around town over the years, including a live 75mm artillery round unpacked at a 2013 consignment sale and a live hand grenade found at a 2023 yard sale.

Felony Penalties Await Whoever Sent the Threat

Under Tennessee Code § 39-16-502(a)(3), intentionally circulating a false report of an impending bombing or emergency that triggers an official response is classified as a Class C felony, according to Justia Law. A conviction carries a sentencing range of 3 to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, per Stephens & DiRado, LLP, with first-time offenders typically facing the lower end of that range.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Ulrey at 931-648-0656, extension 5483. Tipsters can also reach the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers tipline at 931-645-8477 or submit tips online at p3tips.com/591, and those who provide information leading to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward while remaining anonymous. It remains unknown whether the same individual or group is behind both the gym and hotel threats, or whether investigators can trace the automated messaging systems back to their source.