White Sands Mall Evacuated Following Bomb Threat — A Troubling Pattern Continues in Alamogordo

DEVELOPING STORY — Alamogordo Town News & KALH Radio will continue to update this report as information is confirmed.

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — White Sands Mall, the longtime retail anchor of our community at 3199 White Sands Boulevard, was temporarily evacuated Monday morning, April 28, after a caller threatened to detonate a bomb inside the shopping center — the latest in a deeply unsettling wave of bomb threats that has tested our community's patience, resources, and resolve over the past year.

According to Mall General Manager Rebecca Cox, the threat came in by phone at approximately 10:15 a.m. Authorities were notified immediately and acted swiftly. Otero County Sheriff's Department, the Alamogordo Police Department, and Alamogordo Fire Department personnel responded to the scene in force. Critically, the Holloman Air Force Base bomb squad — the same Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and bomb-sniffing K-9 units that have been called upon repeatedly in recent months to assist civilian law enforcement during this surge of threats — conducted a thorough sweep of the premises under a mutual aid agreement that has become all too familiar to Alamogordo residents.

By early afternoon, the all-clear was given. No explosive devices were found. The mall reopened for normal business operations, and mall management posted a statement to confirm: the incident had been cleared and the facility was once again open.

No suspect has been publicly identified as of this writing. The investigation remains active.

A Community Under Siege: The Pattern We Cannot Ignore

Monday's evacuation did not occur in a vacuum. Our community has been here before — too many times.

On October 18, 2025, both Walmart locations in Alamogordo were evacuated following bomb threats that triggered a full-scale emergency response. The Alamogordo Police Department, supported by fire and EMS crews, secured both buildings and parking lots. No injuries were reported. In a show of interagency coordination, bomb-sniffing dogs from Holloman Air Force Base were deployed under a mutual aid agreement to assist APD in sweeping the premises. 2nd Life Media Alamogordo

That incident was traced back to a call made from a blocked number to the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority at approximately 1:42 p.m. The caller hung up before specifying which Walmart location, prompting authorities to evacuate both stores out of an abundance of caution. APD detectives launched an immediate investigation, tracing the call to a phone number. Emergency requests for location data showed the device moving through Alamogordo and Otero County at the time. Search warrants for records later identified Severus Salas as the subscriber. Salas, a 50-year-old who works for American Medical Response, was on duty at the time of the call. He was taken into custody on January 3, 2026, at Christus Health in Alamogordo and booked into the Otero County Detention Center, facing two counts of Making a Bomb Scare — a fourth-degree felony under New Mexico law per 2nd Life Media Alamogordo prior reporting. 

Just days before the Walmart threats, a bomb threat was made to the Betty Dare Good Samaritan Society on October 17, 2025, triggering a full-scale emergency response and evacuation of residents. Located at 3101 N. Florida Avenue, Betty Dare is a long-standing senior care facility in Alamogordo. Law enforcement conducted a thorough search of the premises and found no suspicious packages or devices. Following an investigation by the APD Detective Division, Ravein Townsend, a 31-year-old Alamogordo resident and employee of Betty Dare, was arrested on October 23, 2025, and charged with one count of Unlawful Bomb Scare — a fourth-degree felony per 2nd Life Media Alamogordo2nd Life Media Alamogordo, prior reporting. 

As recently as March 5, 2026, a bomb threat was reported at Full House North, a child development center near North Florida Avenue. The caller claimed an individual was armed with multiple explosives and a rifle. As a precautionary measure, all children and staff were safely evacuated and relocated to Potter's House at the corner of 16th Street and Florida Avenue. Holloman Military EOD and K-9 units arrived on scene to assist APD. 

These are not isolated incidents. This is a pattern.

The Real Cost of False Threats

Each of these threats — whether ultimately proven false or not — diverts Holloman EOD teams, APD detectives, Otero County Sheriff's deputies, and Alamogordo firefighters away from other calls. It traumatizes the elderly residents of facilities like Betty Dare. It frightens parents of children at daycare centers. It disrupts the livelihoods of mall employees and small business owners. And it costs our community — financially and emotionally — every single time.

Bomb threats are not pranks. Under New Mexico law, Making a Bomb Scare is a fourth-degree felony. Individuals convicted face significant prison time and lasting criminal records. The arrests of Townsend and Salas demonstrate that Alamogordo law enforcement takes these incidents seriously and will pursue every available investigative tool to bring those responsible to justice.

What We Know Right Now

As of publication, authorities have not released information on whether a suspect has been identified in Monday's White Sands Mall threat. Alamogordo Town News & KALH Radio are actively monitoring the situation and will report all confirmed developments as they become available.

If you have information regarding this incident or any bomb threat in our community, contact the Alamogordo Police Department immediately at (575) 439-4300. Do not wait. Do not assume someone else will make the call. Our community's safety depends on all of us.

Alamogordo Town News remains committed to transparent, timely local reporting on all matters affecting the safety and well-being of our community. We will not publish until facts are verified by official sources. 

Media Contact: 2nd Life Media – Alamogordo Town News & KALH Radio | Chris Edwards | Alamogordo, New Mexico

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