Friday morning, a report of a man with a gun locked down SABIC Innovative Plastics in Mt. Vernon, IN. An investigation conducted by the Posey County Sheriff’s Department later would show that the report was unsubstantiated, and SABIC media contact Shelia Naab released the following statement:
Following a thorough search of our Mount Vernon site and an investigation by local authorities, alleged reports of a person with a gun in our facility are unfounded, and all SABIC employees are back to work. The Posey County Sheriff’s office notified us that they received a call from someone on site reporting that they saw a person allegedly carrying a weapon. We followed our safety protocol, and immediately secured the area in question, and kept employees in place. There have been no other reports of a gun on site and no weapons have been discovered.
A follow up investigation has led to the arrest of a contract employee at the facility. 25 year old John Michael Kellems was taken into custody by the Posey County Sheriff’s Department on charges of false reporting and intimidation after reviewing security footage and interviewing workers. Sheriff Greg Oeth said that Kellems made the call to 911 while at the site.
