This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. If you enjoy reading Pike County Times, consider buying an advertisement for your business or sending a donation to support the only free online newspaper in Pike County.

Donations can be sent to: The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. You can also donate through www.venmo.com/u/pikecountytimes, $pikecountytimes, and PayPal.Me/PikeCountyTimesLLC.

Thanks for supporting Pike County's only free online newspaper!

ZEBULON (4:30 P.M.) - On December 28, 2023 the Pike County Sheriff’s Office received a bomb threat and suicide threat at 9215 Hwy 19 in Zebulon. This is the location of the Freshway Shopping Center.

Officers from the Zebulon Police Department as well as the Pike County Fire Department and Pike County Sheriff’s Office responded to the location, and the entire Freshway Shopping Center was evacuated for the safety of the patrons and workers.

The Zebulon Police Department contacted the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office for assistance and utilization of their explosive detection K-9 team.

The K-9 team conducted a search of the entire parking lot including the exterior and interior of the complex. Once the area was checked, it was determined the threat of explosive devices was not valid.

The Freshway Shopping Center was then turned back over to their business representatives without further incident.

If you have any information relating to the incident, please contact the Zebulon Police Department at (770) 567-8441.

PLEASE NOTE: Pike County Times talked to Horace Bentley from Freshway by phone, and he advised that Freshway is going to be closed for the rest of the day due to the high amount of stress of this situation. "We are going to exercise caution for our employees and get them back to their families," he said.

[Note from the Editor: Thank you to everyone who has called, texted, and FB messaged me to be sure that I knew about this! This article has been updated to the latest information available.]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! Click here for more. Please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper!

INFORMATION ABOUT RECEIVING BREAKING NEWS ALERTS CAN BE FOUND, HERE.

Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!