Bomb Threat Prompts Search Of Students At Oxford High School
OXFORD (WWJ) - Students arriving at an Oakland County high school were searched Tuesday morning after a bomb threat was made at the school.
Oakland County Sheriff's Lieutenant Scott Patterson said the searches were part of a "secondary protocol" after the deputy superintendent of Oxford Community Schools received a bomb threat via email on Monday.
"They sent out an email to all the parents of the students, advising them that [the students] were going to be monitored upon entry to the school, for their bags and coats to be checked," Patterson told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.
After clearing the building Monday night with bomb-sniffing dogs and searching the students Tuesday morning, investigators found that no threat existed and gave the all-clear.
Patterson said their investigation now turns to identifying the person who made the threat, who could very well be a student.
"It could possibly be anybody at this point in time. That's part of the investigation right now," he said. "If we can locate any type of suspect, that information will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review of possible charges."
Timothy Throne, the district's deputy superintendent, said the searches were warranted to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
"All students were monitored upon entering the high school and bags and coats were checked at each entrance," Throne said in a statement. "This may have caused a slight delay to the start of the day, but student and staff safety is well worth the inconvenience."
An investigation is ongoing.