IKEA Bomb Threat Suspect Confesses

A local teen who confessed to a false bomb threat at IKEA was caught by police after comparing his handwriting to a note from the case.

Chitsner Gauthier, 19, of Stoughton was charged earlier this week with making a false bomb threat, disorderly conduct, and false report of a crime.

According to court documents, the bomb threat occurred when Gauthier produced a note that stated, “bomb in store.” The store was evacuated and closed as a bomb squad from the Massachusetts State Police swept the building.

Gauthier told police that a man in the store found the note on the floor and gave it to him. After asking a co-worker what to do, he gave the note to security. The story was described by police as, “odd at best.”

Investigators requested Gauthier’s employee application and records, noting that the writing on the documents and the note were very similar.

When he was brought in to do fingerprinting for elimination purposes, an officer asked Gauthier to speak with him. After the teen told his story, the officer explained that usually in these types of cases the first person investigated is the person who reports it and then showed the similarities in the note and documents from IKEA.

Gauthier confesses after the officer told him that he knew he likely did it and a review of the documents by a forensic writing examiner would likely come to the same conclusion.

Gauthier explained that he had a bad day and wasn’t thinking. He said his position at IKEA was temporary and a complaint from a customer might have hurt his chances at a full-time position.

During his arraignment, he was held on $2,500 bail and ordered to stay away from IKEA.