Police arrest 2nd man in connection with bomb threat

SALEM - Police arrested a second man in connection to the bomb threat and hostage crime at the Walmart store on Sept. 8.

Det. Dave Talbert said Travis Faulkner, 20, lka 315 W. Fifth St., was arrested Friday morning for his role in the scheme which diverted police to the Walmart store on the east side of town while about 15 minute later the Lease Drug Store, at 229 N. Ellsworth Ave., was robbed.

Talbert said Faulkner also had an outstanding warrant from Columbiana County for failure to appear at the jail to begin serving time after being found guilty in September of criminal damaging.

The Walmart store, located at 2875 E. State St., was evacuated and employees searched but found nothing and when police received the second call they realized the bomb scare was a distraction and a hoax.

The Walmart call was made at 4:25 p.m. while the Lease Drug Store panic alarm went off at 4:40 p.m.

Police said the robber at the drug store had a gun and told the clerk he would start shooting in 30 seconds if the clerk did not complied. Police said he got away with a "significant amount" of OxyContin.

The drug is a prescription painkiller used for moderate to high pain relief.

Faulkner was indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury last week and charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and complicity to commit aggravated robbery, both first degree felonies.

He is being held the county jail without bail and and will be arraigned today in municipal court.

Faulkner's partner, James J. Lippiat Jr., 20, 856 Newgarden Ave., arrested the next day in Mahoning County was charged aggravated robbery.

Lippiatt was indicted two weeks ago by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, disrupting a public service by making the bomb threat call to the Walmart store from a pay phone in the 400 block of South Lundy Avenue, and aggravated robbery.

Lippiatt also has been charged with assault on a correction's officer while being held in the county jail.

He has a pending aggravated drug trafficking charge against him in Mahoning County and in May of 2008 Lippiatt was found guilty of domestic violence in Columbiana County Municipal Court.

Faulkner was also found guilty in May of 2008 of theft and possession of drugs.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net