Deer Park students evacuated for bomb threat

A student’s discovery of a bomb threat inside a Deer Park High School bathroom on Wednesday morning sent students home for the day. “Bomb goes off at 1 today,” the threat said written in felt-tip pen inside a girls’ bathroom stall. A smiley face followed the threatening message. An assistant principal reported the threat to law enforcement around 9:45 a.m. Students were evacuated to the nearby Arcadia Elementary School. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office responded and summoned bomb sniffing dogs from Fairchild Air Force Base and U.S. Marshall Service, said Craig Chamberlin, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “Making a bomb threat is a felony - we take it very seriously,” Chamberlin said. “It’s a huge cost. Not only for the sheriff’s office, but to the parents.” Bomb sniffing dogs swept the campus’ parking lot and interior but found nothing to suggest a bomb. Deputies cleared the school around 2:30 p.m. and released it back to the district. A similar threat was reported at Bonners Ferry High School in Idaho on Tuesday morning prompting an evacuation. A note threatening a bomb was found in the girls’ bathroom. The school was searched but nothing was found.