Decatur Woman Jailed Over Bomb Threat Against 22nd Street Viaduct

DECATUR, Ill. — A 44-year-old Decatur resident was arrested and booked into the Macon County Jail on Wednesday after placing a bomb threat against the William B. Sands Viaduct, also known as the 22nd Street Viaduct, city officials and news reports confirmed.

According to a statement from the Decatur Police Department, officers received a tip from the Federal Bureau of Investigation at approximately 5:39 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, that a bomb threat had been directed at the viaduct. In response, Decatur Police immediately notified Primient Corporate Security and nearby businesses of the threat.

The viaduct was closed to civilian traffic as a precaution. Officers deployed drone technology to conduct a visual inspection of the roadway surface of the overpass and then performed a thorough inspection of the underside of the structure. No suspicious packages or devices were observed.

At approximately 7:15 p.m., the viaduct was cleared and reopened to civilian traffic.

Concurrent with the security sweep, Decatur Police detectives opened an investigation into the origin of the threat. Detectives identified the caller as Krystal L. Richardson, a 44-year-old resident of Decatur. Richardson was located at a residence in Decatur, taken into custody, and booked into the Macon County Jail on charges of Making a Terrorist Threat and Falsely Making a Terrorist Threat.

The 22nd Street Viaduct carries a major corridor through the center of Decatur, connecting downtown neighborhoods with the southern side of Macon County. The structure is part of the city's highway network and had not previously been the target of a publicized security incident.

City officials said there was no further information to release at this time.