Person of Interest in Custody in Connection with Ritz USA Threats

Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland says they have a person of interest in custody related to the threats made against RitzUSA last week in the Gateway II Industrial Park.

He said they arrested that person last Wednesday and he is in jail on an unrelated charge.

Cleveland told the Hartwell Sun his investigators have been making progress at tracing the phone number used to make those threats and they have called in the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to help further with the technology needed.

According to the Sheriff, the suspect first messaged that he was going to shoot upper management at Ritz and then target black people, which he said was ironic because the man in custody they believe made those threats is black.

Cleveland declined to identify the person of interest, saying the investigation is still ongoing.

On Monday, June 20, multiple law enforcement agencies descended on the plant after two employees reported receiving threatening texts from an unknown source.

Officers with the Hart County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol stayed through noon Monday then left after it was determined the threat had no merit.

Then Wednesday morning, it happened again when a supervisor at the plant received yet another threatening text saying black people would be shot.

This time, Cleveland told WLHR News the call came from an untraceable cell phone number.

Again, Hart County Sheriff’s deputies, the Georgia State Patrol, which is across the road from Ritz, and other agencies swarmed the plant which again went into lockdown.

However, by noon Wednesday, the lockdown was lifted and those employees waiting outside were allowed in.