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Bomb threat suspect caught at Lakota West High School

Posted at 3:33 PM, Sep 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-12 15:33:32-04

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A note threatening a bomb was found in a Lakota West High School restroom Monday.

The suspect -- a male student, who is a juvenile and not identified -- was soon found after a school investigation, said Lakota officials.

Lauren Boettcher, spokeswoman for the Butler County school system, told WCPO news partner the Journal-News that high school officials worked with West Chester Township Police in their investigation.

The school was not evacuated, Boettcher told the Journal-News.

The high school junior now faces school discipline, which includes immediate suspension and possible expulsion, along with possible criminal charges.

In a statement emailed to school parents, Lakota West Principal Elgin Card, wrote: “It was brought to our attention this morning that a threatening message appeared in one of our school restrooms. We went to work immediately with our school resource office to investigate the threat to student safety and quickly identified that a Lakota West student was responsible for the message. We will be disciplining the student according to our student code of conduct, but wanted you to know that all students are safe and the situation is under control.”

“As you know, we take any threat to student safety very seriously,” Card went on to write. “Please use this as an opportunity to remind your students of the personal and sometimes legal consequences they face when using poor judgment. It’s also a good time to reiterate students’ responsibility to share information related to the safety of our school community with administration immediately. Safety is always our top priority.”

The bomb threat comes the first school day after Warren County’s Mason High School saw a bomb threat cancel its Friday nigh home football game, which was then played on Sunday.

That threat remains under investigation by both Mason school officials and Mason Police.

The FBI is assisting local police agencies investigating a series of threats made in the last week, including at Mason High School, reported the Associated Press.

Police evacuated some 10,000 fans Friday at the end of a prep football game in the Hamilton County suburb of Colerain Twp. A bomb threat at the Cincinnati Zoo saw it evacuated Thursday.