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NY Mills man guilty of Lund Boat bomb threat

A jury found Chad Steven Pikula of New York Mills guilty on June 9 of calling in the Lund Boats bomb threat that prompted the evacuation of 400 employees in March.

Pikula, 37, was convicted on two counts of making terroristic threats. His sentencing has not yet been determined.

Pikula was arrested on March 10, following a bomb threat at Lund Boats in New York Mills made two days earlier.

At 1:27 p.m. on March 8, Pikula allegedly called Lund Boats and said, "There is a bomb in the factory," and hung up, according to the NY Mills Police Department.

According to court records, Pikula made the call from his cell phone while working at the company. He was employed through a job agency, said Dan Kubera, a spokesperson for Lund.

Brunswick Corporation, which owns and operates the factory, evacuated employees shortly after the call. NY Mills Fire Department assisted in closing streets around the business. Bomb-sniffing dogs were also called in, but their searches revealed nothing.

Normal operations at the factory resumed the next morning.

An investigation revealed the call had come from Pikula's number - the same number that had called Lund Boats several times that day, according to court documents.

When questioned by law enforcement, Pikula initially denied allegations or knowing anything about the bomb threat. He did agree, however, to meet with officials a couple of days later.

On March 10, he again denied allegations, but later changed his story and admitted to making the call from his cell phone while working in the factory. He said he knew it would cause the evacuation of the facility and said his actions were prompted by stress.