Police: EX-P&G employee in custody
Officials had received information on threats
A Covington man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after police received information about threats made to Procter & Gamble.
Benjamin Wood, 30, was arrested at his residence by the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office without incident, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Officials haven’t released any information regarding what charges, if any, Wood is facing. The sheriff’s office said he’s been placed in a secure location.
P&G offices in downtown Cincinnati were closed Wednesday due to security concerns, and a police document points to a former employee making threats.
The Kenton County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it received information about threats to P&G and turned that information over to Cincinnati police.
The Cincinnati Police Department verified it was assisting P&G with a “security concern.”
The Enquirer obtained a Cincinnati police “officer safety bulletin” issued May 17 that states a Covington man “had been texting several people about going to P&G and taking over.”
Covington police verified they had received the bulletin from Cincinnati, but said they could not verify the accuracy of the bulletin’s contents.
According to the bulletin, family members told police Wood suffers from mental illness. He was employed at P&G, but he was fired in 2021 for not returning to the office after the company phased out COVID-19 guidelines that allowed employees to work from home, the document said.
“Officers should use extreme caution if they come in contact with [the man],” the bulletin states.
The bulletin states that it is not intended to be shared outside law enforcement and “should not be considered a complete detailing of information.”
Covington police reported they have had prior contact with the Wood and are reviewing the reported threats.
“He has made similar, generalized threats against the police and others,” Lt. Col. Brian Valenti said. “They are misdemeanors and were not observed by police so he was not charged as is the law in [Kentucky].”
P&G contacted police late Tuesday about a security concern at 1 Procter & Gamble Plaza, according to the Cincinnati Police Department. P&G closed its downtown offices “out of an abundance of caution,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“With the recent incidents surrounding the nation, P&G made the decision for their employees not to report to work this morning,” Cincinnati police said in a statement. “Currently, there is no reason to believe there is a correlation to this potential security threat and recent incidents in our country.”
Cincinnati police said multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the situation.
About 4,000 employees work out of the downtown headquarters of the multinational company. Typically, about 50% work from home midweek.
The maker of consumer staples such as Tide laundry detergent, Gillette razors and Pampers diapers, P&G employs 101,000 worldwide, including 10,000 in
Greater Cincinnati.