All clear after bomb threat at Cloverdale Schools

Friday, February 5, 2016

CLOVERDALE -- Authorities had a serious response to a bomb threat made by a Cloverdale Middle School student as a "joke" Thursday night.

According to Superintendent Greg Linton, the school administration received a notification from students around 5 p.m. that a threat had been made online. The Cloverdale Police Department arrived at the student's house around 6:15 p.m., where the student confessed to making the threat as a joke.

The student is now in custody, and both the suspect and his/her parents have been cooperative, turning over material evidence that will be presented to the Putnam County Prosecutor.

The Cloverdale Police Department -- assisted by the Cloverdale Fire Department, Putnam County Sheriff's Department and school staff -- cleared the buildings by 8:15 p.m. and declared them safe around 9:30 p.m. No one was in the buildings, and no bomb materials were found.

All buildings will be on lock-down on Friday, and students will be searched as they enter.

Information is provided on the Cloverdale School Corporation website.

A statement from Superintendent Greg Linton said the "Corporation Administration takes the safety of our students seriously. We have taken the necessary steps to neutralize this threat."

It has been "a few years" since Cloverdale last received a bomb threat.

"At this point we feel very confident," Linton told the Banner Graphic. "We have the student, and these other measures are just a precaution. We feel very safe."