Bend HS evacuated due to hoax bomb threat

(Update: Police confirm bomb threat, also say one person apparently made several Wednesday hoax calls; comments from police, Bend HS coach)

Bend Senior High School was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a staff member received a telephoned bomb threat, but police checked the cleared buildings and found no suspicious devices.

The call came in shortly before 3 p.m., minutes after classes ended for the day at 2:45 p.m., said Lt. Clint Burleigh.

The school resource office alerted other Bend police as the staff and remaining students were evacuated, Burleigh said.

Several officers responded and cleared the school, finding no devices.

” I showed up for a little scrimmage that we had planned, ” said Colton Sims, assistant coach of the varsity baseball team. ” The cops pretty much said they’re not letting anybody on campus. ”

In a text message, Bend-La Pine Schools said the school was cleared of students and staff ” following an unsubstantiated threat. Law enforcement on site. Students and staff are safe. ”

Burleigh said investigators are comparing Thursday’s call to six other hoax calls received Wednesday — apparently made by the same person — involving “numerous false reports of serious situations,” including a supposed hostage situation, threat of violence and ransom demand at a barber shop on South Highway 97.

” It could be the same person, ” Burleigh said. ” If you look at all these calls coming in at a certain period of time , I think just looking at that aspect in itself, are these calls being made by the same person? ”

School officials sent a second text stating that an “all clear” had been issued and that evening events at the school were proceeding as scheduled, also thanking Bend police for their efforts.

Burleigh said police had not ruled out a possible connection to at least three serious hoax calls on Wednesday, a crime known as “swatting,” aimed at bringing large numbers of law enforcement to a location where, it turns out, no crime is occurring.

“Nothing has been ruled out until we have a better understanding of whether yesterday’s and today’s (calls) are connected or not,” Burleigh said.

A caller Wednesday afternoon claimed to be at Sal’s Barber Shop on S. Highway 97 and indicated they were going to harm the people in the business unless given money. No one at the barber shop was aware until police arrived that anything had occurred.

Burleigh also said they have no evidence at this time that Wednesday’s hoax calls were connected to a “swatting” incident in December involving Yellowknife Wireless on Greenwood Avenue, a false shooting report that prompted an “active threat” call-out to officers.