Student Arrested for Bomb Threat at Coatesville Area Senior High School
Since Sept. 29, 14 threats of violence have been made against the school, causing lockdowns, evacuations, and canceled classes.
(Photo: GoogleMaps)
COATESVILLE, Penn. — A 17-year-old has been arrested and charged in connection with a threat made against Coatesville Area High School (CASH).
The teen, who is a senior at the school, has been charged with two counts of terroristic threats, two counts of threats to use weapons of mass destruction, and criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies. He has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of false reports.
According to a press release from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, on Oct. 17, an anonymous report was made to the Safe2Say Something PA website stating, “Someone has a boom bag full of glass bottles, THE GLASS BOTTLES ARE FULL OF GAS AND ALCOHOL AND a lot OF TISSUES he said he’s gonna light it off at 12.”
Nearly 1,500 students and over 100 staff members were evacuated to the football stadium following the threat, reports Fox 29. After the evacuation, another anonymous report claimed there were weapons on campus, which resulted in the nearby Coatesville Area Intermediate High School being placed on lockdown.
An hour after students were evacuated, officials say a series of fights broke out between different groups of students, resulting in a response from 37 police departments. Several students were detained and released. No serious injuries were reported. Disturbances involving parents were also reported when they were denied access to the campus, according to The Mercury.
A search was conducted at the school with accelerant-detecting K9s from Maryland State Police. No accelerant or weapons were discovered but classes were canceled Tuesday as the FBI investigated further. Mental Health and trauma teams were at the schools Wednesday to support students and staff, said Richard Dunlap, assistant superintendent at the Coatesville Area School District.
Investigators were able to trace the IP address of the report to the guest WiFi at the Chester County Technical College High School (TCHS). They discovered the juvenile’s iPhone accessed the IP address at TCHS and video surveillance shows the student at the school when the threat was made.
The bomb threat was one of 14 threats of violence made against CASH since Sept. 29, including threats of students possessing firearms and threatening to use them, bomb threats, and the use of other incendiary devices. None of the threats materialized, says the press release, but three threats lead “to the lockdown, evacuation, and/or cancellation of school or other student activities.”
On Oct. 13, CASH was placed on lockdown after three separate threats regarding weapons were received by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The following day, district officials canceled classes after another threat was made. The threats came after the school had canceled its homecoming football game the week prior due to online threats against the school.
“We assured the community that every threat would be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, and anyone responsible would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Caln Township Police Chief Joe Elias said following the student’s arrest. “The threats continued and culminated in a very dangerous situation at the campus on Monday. We trust that this arrest will restore a sense of normalcy to the community and our school district and put anyone on notice who is contemplating similar behavior that it will be treated with zero tolerance.”
Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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