La Pine schools lockdown over; gunman report unfounded

(Update: Report unfounded, encounter earlier in the day, no gun seen)

La Pine’s elementary, middle and high schools were briefly put on precautionary lockdown late Wednesday afternoon due to a caller’s report of an armed subject, but was ended when the third-hand information was refuted a short time later.

Around 4:40 p.m., Deschutes County 911 received a report of an armed subject in the area of the La Pine School Based Health Center and Head Start, located at 51605 Coach Road, said sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey.

“The female caller reported a male armed with a firearm had chased and attempted to grab her, but she had run to the clinic to call for help,” Bailey said in the initial news release.

Due to the location’s close proximity to La Pine Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, all three schools were placed on lockdown as a precaution while deputies investigated the report, Bailey said.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Bailey told NewsChannel 21 the report ended up being third-hand, and deputies determined after about 15 minutes that the female’s encounter with the unknown male occurred earlier in the day — and no gun was ever seen.

The schools’ lockdown lasted about 15 minutes, Bailey added.