Suspect In Custody In Double School Bomb Threat - State Journal

GLEN DALE, WV -- He scribbled the word "bomb" under a school desk.

When that didn't get any attention, he wrote a note and left it in the boys' rest room.

And when that didn't work, he took the note to the principal's office, saying he just found it.

The note said there were bombs in John Marshall High School and Sherrard Middle School.

Now a young man is facing expulsion from school and serious criminal charges.

Officials say school surveillance video showed only a few boys in that rest room at that time.

Investigators questioned them all, and narrowed it down to one.

That one has reportedly confessed.

The 14-year-old freshman from the Big Wheeling Creek area is facing charges of making terroristic threats and disruption of a school function.

Authorities say it was just a prank, but one with drastic results.

"Right now, the only thing that we have determined is that he wanted out of school early," said Chief Deputy Kevin Cecil of the Marshall County Sheriff's Department. "And he wanted a friend out of school at Sherrard Middle School. So he placed John Marshall and Sherrard Middle schools in jeopardy. We had probably 12 to 14 officers at two different locations from our department, along with State Police and Glen Dale Police. It's a serious crime. It's going to be treated as a serious crime. It's going to be prosecuted as a serious crime."

The student is suspended for ten days, and facing possible expulsion for the year.

He has reportedly been in trouble in school before.

Chief Deputy Cecil says when you evacuate students and activate officers from three departments, that's a drastic incident.

He says they had no choice but to take it seriously.

mommy23 i didnt say that they shouldnt have taken it seriously i agree with what they did the evacuation and search of the school and hope they continue to do it no matter how small of a threat even if it turns out to be a prank.all im saying is it was a prank and the charges they want to put on these kids are ridiculous they should be punished yes i agree but not sent away for years on severe charges.the problem with these kids today is they arent being punished foranything they need there butts whipped. not all kids but most have no respect for elderly there own parents or things they have or sisters or brothers and so on and for themselves for that matter.sending them to there rooms your doing them a favor they have computers cell phones video games they can reach out more in the room than in front of you.and these kids have no responsibilities chores and so on.cant blame all on the kids though look around at some of the parents raising these kids.and i raised 5 kids myself and im just as concerned for there safety as you are.i hope that made my opinion a little more clearer earl m

Earl M, so what if law enorcement HADN'T taken it seriously? And what IFthere were actually "materials" to carry out this thing you call a "prank"? Then what? We have dead children because law enforcement didn't take it seriously! This day in age, you have to, unfortunately, take all these kinds of things seriously becaue it DOES happen, it HAS happened and we can't continue to live thinking that it couldn't or wouldn't happen here. Every place that has been affected by school attacks has probably thought it could never happen in their community. We can't be naive about these things. It's sad, but it's our new reality. The world is not the same as it was when we were growing up. We have to realize that!

what this kid did was a prank and wrong but cmon the charges they want to throw at this kid is just ridiculous it would be different if they had more like materials to make one or him actually checking into making one or him holding people and threatening to do this.they seem to forget about one of there own who did this in a residential neighborhood and it was evacuated fire department called in and multiple law enforcement and bomb detection equipment brought in but lets give the atf agent misdemeanor charges and he was off the deepend at the time he made the threats.but it was all covered up.but yet they want to nail a 14 year old to the wall.seriously now how many of us now adults when we were kids jokingly said we wanted to kill someone or threatened to blow something up or even called one in or pulled the fire alarm to get out of school none of you all i forgot your all perfect now lol.cut me a break 80 percent of us would have been in jail if we had to live by the standards of today.

Seriously? What was this kid thinking? I understand that he didn't want to be in school and I understand wanting a friend out too but this was the epitome of stupidity! Now this is going to go on his permanent record and he will be marked for life. I am trying to feel bad for him and his family (assuming is a functional one in place) but he's brought this on himself and his family. I really hope the best for them but he should have known better.