STEARNS— A bomb threat resulted in the evacuation of McCreary County Schools Friday just hours after students and staff had returned to class after several days off due to wintry weather.
Schools had opened on a one-hour delay Friday morning. The day began normally, with more than 91 percent of the student population in atten-dance. Then Supt. Arthur D. Wright opened an e-mail containing the threat that bombs had been planted at each of the district’s five schools and were set to detonate at 1 p.m.
Wright immediately notified Kentucky State Police of the situation and prepared a message through the One Call Phone Notification system to advise parents that schools would be closed as of 12:30 p.m.
School officials, local law enforcement and even road crews then scrambled to evacuate the students and staff in as orderly a manner as possible. responded to each of the local schools searching for any sign of an explosive device. Meanwhile investigators worked with the district’s IT department to track the ISP address from where the e-mail had been sent.
“All threats are treated seriously,” Supt. Wright said, adding that KSP’s bomb search crew were expected to search and secure the schools before they would reopen.
As students were loading buses or being picked up by their parents, officials were awaiting a subpoena for Highland Communications to determine what computer generated the e-mail. By 3:30 p.m. a juvenile was in custody.
Because the alleged perpetrator is a juvenile, little information is publicly available regarding the case. Supt. Wright said Friday that he was assured the suspect could be charged with terroristic threatening and/or wanton endangerment. Yesterday, KSP spokesman Trooper Don Trosper told The Record that Trooper Phillip Hayes would be consulting with the Court Designated Worker, who supervises juvenile offenders through McCreary District Court, to determine how the prosecution would proceed.
McCreary County School District remained closed yesterday as another winter storm dumped nearly three inches of snow on the community.
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