Students and staff at the East Hills Middle School in Greenwood were evacuated on Wednesday (April 23) after a bomb threat was found.
The Arkansas State Police and Greenwood Police and fire department responded to the threat at 11:59 a.m.
The message was located in a female bathroom, according to a news release from the Greenwood Police Department.
A message on the school’s Facebook page said everyone was safe.
Everyone was cleared by law enforcement to resume normal schedules as of approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the school district’s Facebook page.
“Thanks so much to our local law enforcement, school staff, and students for working diligently to keep everyone safe. Also, we appreciate the parents and community for remaining calm and showing support while we worked through the process to secure the safety of all involved,” a Facebook post said.
Authorities are now focusing on who wrote the message. The person responsible is looking at a charge of Communicating a False Alarm, which is a Class D Felony. A person found guilty of this crime could potentially be put in prison for up to six years, according to the news release.
Chief Will Dawson stated, “This is not a joke. This is not funny. So many things can go wrong on a call like this. We have a lot of wasted resources and time committed to these calls. We have first responders risking their lives to respond to the schools to ensure student and faculty safety. This is a serious crime and will be treated as such.”
