The FBI is aware of a number of “hoax” threats across Ohio, including several in the Columbus area.
Several central Ohio high schools, including schools in Columbus, Gahanna and Worthington, reported threats on March 4. Some school officials said the “hoax” or “swatting” threats appear to be connected to similar threats elsewhere in the state.
In a statement, the FBI said the agency has “no information to indicate a credible threat.”
“We are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention,” the FBI said. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”
Bomb threats include ‘very similar style message’
Columbus police Sgt. Joe Albert said officers responded to high schools on McGuffey Road, 19th Avenue and Hard Road.
Albert said these threats appear to be related because “a very similar style message that has been given for each one.” Police are investigating, and it is too early to say whether the threats are credible, Albert said.
A Columbus City Schools spokesperson said the district did not receive any bomb threats, but did receive an apparently unrelated shooting threat at Columbus Alternative High School. The school was placed under a brief lockdown, which was lifted after police investigated, the spokesperson said.
Several central Ohio districts did report threats, however.
Bexley police Chief Gary Lewis said at 10:42 a.m., Bexley High School received a call claiming a vehicle containing a detonation device was on Cassingham Road, where the school is located. Police deployed a bomb detection canine, Lewis said, and swept the area.
A Bexley City Schools spokesperson said that Bexley police, including Lewis, were on scene “within minutes.” The spokesperson said Lewis was already aware of the rash of swatting incidents around the state and informed the district about them.
“He was confident there was no credible threat to our schools,” the spokesperson said.
However, as a precaution, the district entered a “reverse evacuation” protocol, meaning nobody was allowed to enter or exit the building. Bexley police performed a bomb sweep and cleared the building.
Lewis said he believes the threat at Bexley High School was related to the “swatting” threats around the state. Bexley is continuing to work with law enforcement partners including the FBI to monitor threats, Lewis said.
Gahanna police spokesman Dan Pearlman said Gahanna Lincoln High School was evacuated after receiving a threat at 11:14 a.m. claiming there was a bomb at the school.
“As the situation developed, we became aware of other schools in the region receiving similar threats that resulted in similar actions being taken by other law enforcement agencies,” Pearlman said.
Pearlman said students were cleared to return to Gahanna Lincoln High School just after 12:30 p.m. following a thorough sweep of the building. He added that Gahanna police would have an increased presence at the school throughout the day.
In a message to families, Worthington Schools said its schools were target of a “‘swatting’ trend that impacted several districts in our region today.” Worthington Schools said classes would be dismissed according to the normal schedule.
A Worthington City Schools spokesperson said that both district high schools received threats over the phone, and both schools were briefly placed on lockdown while the district worked with law enforcement to clear the buildings.
Law enforcement eventually cleared the threats and the school days resumed as normal, the spokesperson said.
Bomb threats in Cincinnati, elsewhere in Ohio as well
On the same day, multiple Cincinnati-area schools were evacuated or placed on lockdown that morning due to threats, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Albert said it wasn’t clear whether the threats in Columbus were related to threats across the state.
Schools in Toledo and the Cleveland area also went under lockdown due to threats, News 5 Cleveland reported. Some schools have canceled afternoon and evening classes or delayed dismissal times, the TV station reported.
Last month, on the morning of Feb. 9, bomb threats were emailed to at least 30 Columbus schools and the Ohio Statehouse. The Cincinnati office of the FBI said in a statement it was investigating several “hoax threats” in central Ohio, and the agency had no indications the threats were credible.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Multiple schools in Columbus, across Ohio receive bomb threats
Reporting by Bailey Gallion and Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
