LAKE COUNTY, Ohio — A Michigan man was arrested Wednesday after he drove his pickup truck and trailer into the enclosed entrance of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant and claimed he had a bomb in the trailer, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in an update Thursday.
Michael D. Fogelsong, 33, of Adrian, Michigan, was booked into the Lake County Jail on charges of making false statements, a third-degree felony and aggravated trespassing, a first-degree misdemeanor.
On Wednesday at approximately 5:43 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the North Perry Police Department, and local branches of the FBI responded to the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, located at 10 Center Road, for a suspicious man who refused to leave the property.
It was determined Fogelsong drove his pickup truck with an enclosed trailer to the entrance of the facility. When approached by security, he claimed to have a bomb in his trailer and he refused to leave.
The Lake County Bomb Squad and the FBI determined the truck and trailer did not contain any dangerous ordnance.
The sheriff's office said Fogelsong is a delivery driver who hauls cars and motorcycles. He and a 19-year-old from Michigan made a delivery to Cincinnati before he headed to the nuclear plant where he pulled up to the gate and attempted to get past security, the sheriff's office said.
The 19-year-old was released after authorities determined he had no prior knowledge of the incident.
Lake County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno said it's not clear why Fogelsong targeted the plant.
"Was it drugs involved, was it mental health issues, was it a combination of both?" said Leonbruno. "I can't say."
The sheriff said investigators hope to learn more after they search Leonbruno's truck and trailer.
North Carolina Department of Corrections records show Fogelsong absconded from probation after misdemeanor convictions on drug and larceny charges in 2010 and 2011.
"Certainly we need to find out why somebody would do this and either get him the help he needs or make him accountable for the actions he took," said Leonbruno.
Additional charges against Fogelsong may be forthcoming pending the investigation into the bomb threat incident.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there is no ongoing threat to the plant.
