By Sylvia Benavidez
One little girl’s first train ride to Detroit was memorable this weekend, but not for the usual reasons of going on holiday or watching the beautiful scenery fly by while riding the rails. A woman is awaiting a court date for making a false bomb threat on that same train trip.
Saturday evening, one of the daily Amtrak trains that makes their way through Albion from Chicago to Detroit stopped at the Albion train station longer than usual due to a possible bomb threat. Albion Department of Public Safety Officer Dan Riley reported receiving a phone call from Amtrak requesting assistance with a passenger.
After speaking with Amtrak staff, Riley and other officers assessed the situation and determined what had happened on the train while at the station. He said, “We arrived after a middle-aged lady had made a statement that she was sneaking a bomb onto the train.”
In a short Tuesday phone interview with Calhoun County Prosecutor Dave Gilbert, he explained whether the threat is credible or not, officers must follow a procedure for the safety of the passengers and that anyone making threats of having a bomb or bringing one aboard can face federal charges based on the severity and situation of the threat.
An Amtrak official stated that even though these kinds of delays happen infrequently, their employees do not take such threats lightly. Mark Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman out of Chicago, said, “We all say, if you see something, say something. That is the process we follow and the one we certainly followed on Saturday for Albion.”
The 31-year-old woman, later identified as Yasmine Aurora Durst-Walton, did not want to leave the train. Riley said, “She was asked to stand up and get off the train with us. She was not willing to. She was passive in her resistance. Eventually, we stood her up and got her off the train.” While the interchange was happening between her and the officers, preparations were happening to get the passengers safely off the train. They were taken across the street to 207 N. Clinton St.
“People were escorted to the fire station for their safety to keep them at a safe distance from any possible problem,” said Riley.
Although Riley has a K9 for a partner, Tyson is not an explosive sniffing dog. They had to wait for the Michigan State Police K9 to arrive. “We had an explosives-trained dog sweep the train, and we found nothing,” reported Riley.
Magliari said, “There was a train delay in service of 1one hour and 20 minutes. No injuries to passengers or crew. It was a false threat. We appreciated the quick response of the Albion Department of Public Safety and the Michigan State Police.”
In an email, Albion resident Michelle Mueller described the scene she saw that evening once all the passengers had been removed from the train and had an opportunity to talk with a few of the passengers. “The Superior Street railroad crossing was blocked by State Police the entire time the train was stopped. No passengers were visible unless you went down Eaton Street. It was also blocked off at the RR crossing, but that’s where all the passengers were disembarked, right by the train station and the street running parallel to the station,” Mueller stated.
The people she talked to came from Battle Creek, Chicago, and Kalamazoo. She explained, “Most had gotten on the train in Chicago; one woman had gotten on in Kalamazoo and was going to Ann Arbor to catch a bus to Toledo.”
Everyone was pretty orderly throughout the whole delay, even the little girl taking her first train trip ever. “The mother and pre-school-age daughter (plus a family female friend) were going all the way to Detroit,” Mueller shared. “The girl was happily playing with her younger brother, so they didn’t seem bothered at all by the stop…and the little girl said ‘Yes’ when I asked her if it was her first train ride ever.”
Mueller watched the re-boarding and reported, “The re-boarding – announced by Riley at 7:50 p.m. – was orderly, and people in the line were happy it was happening.” She said people seemed relieved to know that their initial thoughts of no bomb were correct and were relieved to get back on the train.
Durst Walton was taken into custody to the Calhoun County jail, and Riley said, “She was charged for false report or threat of terrorism, and resisting and obstructing officers.” She was also charged with false report or threat of bomb/harmful device. All are felonies.
After the arraignment on Aug. 12, Durst Walton’s next court date will be in 10th District Court in Battle Creek on Aug. 21 for a pre-exam conference. This court procedure allows the prosecutor, defendant, and lawyer to discuss the defendant’s possible plea, mental state, community service, and possible restitution, among other issues.
