Authorities release new information about alleged weapon, bomb threat hoax at Preston Junior High School

UPDATE THURSDAY 10 A.M.

Authorities are releasing more information Thursday morning about what happened at Preston Junior High School on Wednesday.

Franklin County Sheriff Cuyler Stoker originally told EastIdahoNews.com a student falsely claimed he had a weapon. An anonymous tipper also reported an alleged bomb threat.

After completing their investigation, Stoker says there were two separate incidents.

The first one happened around 8 a.m. as school was beginning. A student claimed he had a gun. Staff members overheard his comment and pulled him into the office. They called law enforcement and when questioned, the student reported he did not have a gun.

Stoker says there was no lockdown as a result of his comment and the school day proceeded normally.

Then around 3 p.m. in a completely unrelated incident, Stoker says another student said he had a bomb. A group of students reported it to school staff. Administrators put the school on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

The school was eventually evacuated, according to Stoker, and students were sent home.

The student later told law enforcement he did not have a bomb. Police searched the entire building to verify the student’s statement and found no threat.

A bomb squad K-9 unit later searched the entire school as well and confirmed there was no bomb and no threat to students or staff.

School is back in session Thursday and classes are proceeding as normal.

“Law enforcement will finalize our investigation into both events and everything will then be reviewed by the Franklin County Prosecutors Office,” the sheriff’s office says on Facebook. “We want to thank all school personnel for the manner in which they responded and cared for the safety of the students.”

ORIGINAL STORY WEDNESDAY 4:42 P.M.

PRESTON – Reports that a student at Preston Junior High School had a weapon are a hoax, authorities say.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call Wednesday that a student claimed to have a weapon on school property. During an investigation, Sheriff Cuyler Stoker tells EastIdahoNews.com those claims turned out to be false.

“We have confirmed that it’s a hoax and that the students are safe,” Stoker says.

EastIdahoNews.com received an anonymous tip Wednesday afternoon that the school was evacuated for a “bomb threat hoax” and that students were being sent home as a precautionary measure.

Stoker provided few details about the situation because the investigation is still underway. He didn’t say anything about a bomb threat, but he denied the tipper’s information that the school was evacuated.

“It was not evacuated,” Stoker says. “The school immediately took actions, secured the people involved and then called law enforcement. We’re in the process of reviewing (what happened).”

No further information was provided.

EastIdahoNews.com will provide updates as we receive them.

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