Social media bomb threat results in search of Warren East middle and high schools

After receiving a vague bomb threat against Warren East middle and high schools Monday night, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and school administrators searched both schools for hours.

“I went to Warren East High School and met with Ms. (Nicole) Clark and walked through the school with her and another administrator. We went through the whole entire school and checked everything. There was another deputy who went to Warren East Middle School and went with an administrator there,” Warren County Sheriff’s Capt. Curtis Hargett said.

“After a thorough search, the sheriff’s office determined that it was safe for the students to return,” Hargett said.

School resource officer Deputy Mike Waldrop received the initial complaint, Hargett said.

Deputies were able to find a student who received the message through the social media app Snapchat. They have not yet determined who sent the threat.

“It was a Snapchat that had been circulated. After it was all said and done, there was no targeting of anyone to my knowledge. The threat was not credible, and we took all the steps to make sure the kids could safety return to school this morning,” Hargett said.

Warren County Schools spokeswoman Morgan Watson said Tuesday morning the schools sent out letters to all of the parents making them aware of the incident.

The investigation remains open, and the person responsible for making the threat could be criminally prosecuted.