Goodwill worker arrested, accused of threats that closed stores
CANTON – Police have arrested a 29year-old suspect in connection with a series of threats against Goodwill that forced many of the agency’s Northeast Ohio retail stores to close for several days.
Giovanni Stanley of Canton faces felony charges of making terroristic threats and inducing panic. He was arrested Thursday by Canton police and booked into the Stark County Jail.
The motive behind the threats remains unclear.
Stanley worked at a Canton Goodwill store, according to the agency.
He is accused of being behind email threats received by the Goodwill Industries to “shoot up” the Atlantic Boulevard NE store where he worked on Tuesday. Police said a second Goodwill store received a phone call making similar threats of violence.
As a result, Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio and Goodwill Industries of Akron closed retail sites and donations centers Tuesday and Wednesday.
Most locations — except the Stark County stores — reopened Thursday.
Stanley was hired in September at the Goodwill retail store at 2630 Atlantic Blvd. NE and worked as a donations processor for the agency, Goodwill officials said in a news release.
The same Goodwill officials said all Stark County locations (except the Atlantic Boulevard site) will reopen Friday. That Canton store will reopen Dec. 14 with added security.
“We are relieved to have resolution to his very difficult incident,” President and CEO Anne Richards said in a prepared statement Thursday.
She added: “We are incredibly grateful to our law enforcement who moved quickly to investigate these threats and ultimately make an arrest. Our agency, our staff and the community are so thankful for their persistence.”
Police said detectives identified the suspect and obtained arrest warrants Thursday. The case remains under investigation.