Ex-Wal-Mart worker charged in bomb threats

By Elisa Glushefski

Published: June 24, 2008

A disgruntled former employee of a Woodbridge Wal-Mart is facing felony charges related to a nuclear bomb threat that was called into the discount retailer on Monday, court documents state.

Joseph Jorbina, 37, of 12070 Stallion Court in Lake Ridge, was charged with two counts of threatening to bomb after police took him into custody within hours of the phone calls, said Officer Erika Hernandez, Prince William police spokeswoman.

The Wal-Mart, at 14000 Worth Ave., got two bomb threats Monday, one at 2:15 a.m. and another at about 4:15 p.m., police said.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Prince William County Circuit Court, Jorbina called Wal-Mart and said there was a nuclear bomb inside the store.

During the second call, Jorbina allegedly said, "There's a bomb inside" three times to the associ-ate on the other end of the line, according to another criminal complaint filed Monday.

The store was evacuated and the area cordoned off both times while police searched the store for possible explo-sives, Hernandez said.

Four hours after the second call, a patrol officer spotted Jorbina near his residence and arrested him, Hernandez said.

Jorbina is being held without bond, pending a Sept. 16 court hearing, Hernandez said.

Cindy L. Decker, Jorbina's attorney, did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.

An assistant manager for the store said he could not comment on Jorbina's employment with the com-pany.

During interviews with store management, Jorbina's name was one of the names that came up, Hernandez said.

The document also states: "Upon interview, the accused said he wanted to tell the Wal-Mart owner he was sorry for the bomb. He said he was not sorry for the managers, as he used to work there and was fired."

Virginia State Police assisted in the investigations, providing a dog specialized in finding explosives, Hernandez said.

Threatening to bomb is a class 5 felony and carries a penalty of one to 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $2,500.

Staff writer Elisa Glushefski can be reached at 703-878-8062.