Police in the Dallas suburb of Plano arrested a juvenile suspect on Sunday morning in connection with Friday’s bomb scare and weapons hoax at Clark High School. Police charged the minor with False Alarm/Report Emergency Involving Public School.
KTVT-11 (CBS) reported that police took into custody the person purportedly responsible for calling 9-1-1 and saying that someone had a gun, possibly even a bomb on campus, according to police. Law enforcement did not release any details on the age, sex, identity, or even if the suspect attends the high school, because the individual is a minor. The arrested teen was accused of making a false report, a serious charge according to Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code.
On Friday, Breitbart Texas reported that Plano police officers responded to an apparent threat at Clark High School when a caller reported a weapon on campus. Plano Independent School District (ISD) police put the school on immediate lockdown and bomb-sniffing dogs swept the property for any devices, which were not found. The lockdown was lifted and the situation, deemed a hoax.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Plano ISD spokeswoman Leslie Range-Stanton after she walked the campus with school police on Friday. Although she did would not call the incident a hoax, she said the campus was clean.
Following the alleged hoax, which happened on 9/11, the Dallas Morning News reported that police identified the student whose cell phone was used to call in the threat. The phone was reported stolen earlier in the week. Police since said that the 9-1-1 call came from the high school at about 11:30am on Friday. Officer David Tilley told KXAS-5 (NBC): “It came from a cell phone at this location, indicating there was someone inside the school with a weapon and possibly a bomb.”
Unlike the bomb threats of the 1970’s when faculty and staff herded high school students to stand outside of a school building and parents only later learned of the incident, today’s teenagers have smartphones. Many called or texted their parents as the chaotic and fright-filled scene unfolded. Other parents found out through the high school’s social media alerts.
“When he called me, I dropped everything I was doing. I think I was probably one of the first parents here,” parent Terri Anderson told KXAS-5. They added that her tenth grade son, Blaizhaan, said his panic-stricken mom cried when he reached her by phone.
“She called my dad. My dad was telling me to stay strong, pray to God, and hopefully everything will turn out ok,” the teen added.
The Dallas Morning News shared a student’s account of the initial chaos when teachers ran down halls in response to the threat. “Police came in and said, ‘Put your stuff down. Hands over your head. If you have phones, put them on the floor.’ And then they brought the dogs in to search everyone’s bags,” said Clark high school student Megan Benoit.
Her mother, Carol, told the newspaper, that her daughter sent a text saying she wanted her mom to know that she loved her in case anything happened.
When speaking to KXAS-5, Tilley emphasized that “these things are never funny.” He added that they create a lot of panic within the community.
“I’m just glad was a hoax,” Beniot told the Dallas newspaper. Crying she said, “It’s a little bit more raw choosing 9/11 to do this.”
Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.
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