CANTON, Ohio — Police in Canton have arrested a suspect accused of making threats to Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio (GIGCECO).
29-year-old Giovanni Stanley is in custody and facing charges of making terroristic threats and inducing panic, both felonies. According to Goodwill, Stanley was an employee of its retail store on Atlantic Blvd. in Canton. He was hired in September of this year and worked as a donations processor for the agency.
“We are relieved to have resolution to this very difficult incident,” GIGCECO President and CEO Anne Richards said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful to our local law enforcement who moved quickly to investigate these threats and ultimately make an arrest. Our agency, our staff and the community are so thankful for their persistence.”
On Tuesday, a Goodwill worker at a store on 9th Street SW in Canton reported receiving two separate emails threatening to "shoot up" the thrift store. An additional local Goodwill Store also received a phone call making similar threats of violence. As a result of these repeated threats, Goodwill Industries closed all 22 of its Northeast Ohio retail stores and five donation centers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Stores outside of Stark County were open normal hours on Thursday. Goodwill says all of its stores, with the exception of the Atlantic Blvd. location in Canton, will be open Friday, December 10. The Atlantic Blvd. store will reopen Tuesday, December 14 with additional security. The company says staff at this site will be compensated for time missed. Store team members will also be offered counseling services.
“I think we all can breathe a collective sigh of relief that we have found answers, “ added Richards. “Now we can begin to find our way back to a sense of normalcy and continue to do what we do best…serve the needs of our community.”
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