Bainbridge school security guard arrested after hoax 911 call

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - A security guard at Bainbridge High School has been arrested in connection with a hoax 911 call about a person roaming the school campus with a firearm, school officials said.

The incident unfolded Wednesday when 911 dispatchers received a call reporting a person with a gun on the school grounds, said Bainbridge High School spokesperson Galen Crawford.

The high school was placed on lockdown, along with nearby Commodore School and Ordway Elementary School, as Bainbridge Island police officers searched the building and grounds.

Police found no evidence of a person with a weapon on the campus, so they immediately launched an investigation to determine the source of the 911 call, said Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hamner.

On Thursday evening, police arrested a high school security officer in connection with the incident, Hamner said. The security officer was booked into Kitsap County jail for investigation of false reporting, a gross misdemeanor, and police requested a $5,000 bond.

The school district has placed the security guard on administrative leave pending further investigation, Crawford said.

Hamner said the 911 call was very distressing for the community and for the parents of children at the schools affected.

"When the incident occurred many children, parents, staff members, and community members were made to unnecessarily experience extreme fear," he said. "We recognized immediately the need to determine the source of the false reporting, and take swift action to prevent this type of situation from occurring again in our community."