2 boys held in bomb threat at Everett High School

Published 11:07 pm Tuesday, April 22, 2008

EVERETT — Two 16-year-old boys were arrested Tuesday for allegedly phoning in a bomb threat that forced an evacuation of Everett High School on Monday, police said.

A teacher and some students became suspicious of one boy Tuesday morning, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said. The boy was overheard talking about the incident that forced students to stand outside Monday morning in bad weather while police searched for a bomb.

“If I were a student standing out in two hail storms (Monday), I too would have kept my ears open to what people were saying,” Goetz said.

The boy was interviewed by school officials and police. The teenager confessed his involvement and accused another boy of being an accomplice, Goetz said. The other boy also confessed, he said.

Both boys, a freshman and a sophomore, were booked into the Denney Juvenile Justice Center for investigation of threats to bomb or injure property, a felony, Goetz said.

They also faced emergency expulsion, said Mary Waggoner, an Everett school district spokeswoman. School officials will determine what long-term disciplinary action, including the possibility of permanent expulsion, is most appropriate.

The boys allegedly used cell phones to call in multiple bomb threats Monday morning, Goetz said.

School officials worked with police and decided to evacuate the building.

“When we have a bomb threat at a school, we take that very seriously,” Goetz said.

A dozen Everett police officers worked to evacuate more than 1,500 students, search the building and help the students safely back to classes, he said.

This is the second time this school year that students have faced disciplinary action and possible criminal charges for phoning bomb scares in to Everett High School, Waggoner said.