Man arrested for bomb threat

Coatesville police said they received a call that there was an explosive device in the police station

A man was arrested after he allegedly threatened the Coatesville Police Department with a bomb inside the station, police said on Thursday.

Coatesville police said that a man called 911 at 9:53 p.m. Tuesday, and threatened that a bomb was inside the Coatesville Police Department at 1 City Hall Place.

The police station and City Hall are in the same building; however City Hall was closed at the time of the threat. Detective Sgt. Brandon Harris said that the threat caused alarm, and five police officers and the police receptionist evacuated the station after the threat was made and investigated. No injuries were reported.

Chester County Sheriff’s K-9 units assisted Coatesville police to search the police station and City Hall. Police said no bomb was discovered.

Coatesville police said that they identified Francis Keith Gibson, 55, of Coatesville, as the caller and arrested him Wednesday without incident. Harris said that the police do not know what motivated Gibson to reportedly make the threat.

Gibson has been charged with

six felony counts of making terroristic threats causing the evacuation of a building, and six misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, according to his online criminal report.

Gibson was arraigned Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Nancy A. Gill. He is being held in the Chester County Prison, unable to post 10 percent

of his $25,000 bail, according to police and the online criminal report. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 20 in front of Magisterial District Judge Grover E. Koon.

Gibson is originally from Delaware County, then lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York before moving back to Chester County, Harris said. Gibson formerly had an address in Media, and told Coatesville police he also used to live in Springfield and Upper Darby, in Delaware County.

Gibson pleaded guilty in November 2016 to two separate incidents, including a summary charge of retail theft in West Chester, and for a summary charge of disorderly conduct in Media, Delaware County, according to online criminal reports.