Police Continue Investigation into Liberty High School Bomb Threats

After a second bomb threat in eight days at Liberty High School in Eldersburg, police and school officials said they are committed to finding who is responsible for making the threats.

Captain Lust of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department said that police are conducting interviews based on tips they have received. Lust said few details are being released as the investigation is ongoing.

On Nov. 20 just before 9:30 a.m., Liberty High School was evacuated in response to a bomb threat found written on a wall at the school. Just before 11 a.m., the school was deemed safe and the students who had been waiting outside in the athletic stadium, were allowed to return to the school.

A second bomb threat, also written on a wall at the school according to Lust, was found Nov. 26. Again the school was evacuated and students had to wait for the school to be deemed safe before returning to classes.

Lust emphasized that significant resources are used to respond to threats like this.

"The response depends on the nature of the threat," Lust said. "[Monday] we had 15 police officers on scene to make sure the school was evacuated and then to ensure that the kids are safe on the outside."

Additionally, Lust said bomb dogs must be brought into the school and officers have to go through the school with the dogs. Lust said investigators are also assigned to the scene as well as crime scene technicians.

School Superintendent Steve Guthrie said that the "disruption these threats have on the entire school community cannot be understated." 

"Students must leave their classrooms and sit as a group in the stadium in terrible weather conditions, teachers have to scramble to alter their lesson plans for the day, and our central office security staff has to coordinate with the county police to scan the school to ensure that the threat is not real," Guthrie said.  

"Not only do students lose valuable instructional time, the threats create emotional distress as well for students, staff, and their families," Guthrie told Patch.

Capt. Lust said that these actions constitute a criminal offense. He said that he expects the culprit will be charged although law enforcement officials would have to work with the State's Attorney's office to determine if the suspect, once apprehended, will be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony.

Guthrie said that although the threats are disturbing and disruptive, Carroll County is fortunate that these types of threats are rare.

"In fact, these of the first ones that we have had in years," Guthrie said of the bomb threats.  "We are optimistic that we will discover the culprit and put an end to them."

See Also:

• Update: Liberty High School Evacuated After Bomb Threat

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