Bomb threat
By John Joyce
Published in News on September 27, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Goldsboro Police Department officers redirect cars traveling on Elm Street to Malloy Street Friday afternoon as Meadow Lane Elementary School is searched for a bomb after a threat was made.
A bomb threat against Meadow Lane Elementary School forced an evacuation of students and faculty Friday afternoon.
The scare led to traffic being blocked off on East Ash Street in front of the two schools, preventing parents and buses from retrieving students during afternoon release.
The call came in at 1:50 p.m. after Meadow Lane officials received an email stating that a bomb had been placed somewhere inside the school, according to a Goldsboro Police Department press release.
Students were immediately evacuated across the street to Greenwood Middle School, Maj. Anthony Carmon said.
Wayne County Public Schools public information officer Ken Derksen said as soon as he was in a position to do so, he sent out notification alerts to the parents of students at both schools informing them of the bomb threat and the evacuation.
"The district implemented its safe response procedures. We evacuated all of the students, and due to the weather, they were staged over at Greenwood Middle," Derksen said. "As soon as we had a clear idea what was going on, we sent out a message."
Four messages went out -- the first at 2:20 p.m. informing parents of the threat and evacuation, Derksen said.
Additional updates were sent at 2:39 and 3:06 p.m., when police released the scene.
Derksen said the messages were sent out via voicemails, but that the district would assess their response and make necessary changes if any were identified.
"We will look at all aspects of today's event and identify things we can do to improve," he said.
Goldsboro police officers and fire department personnel blocked traffic along East Ash Street between Malloy Street and Oak Frrest Road, denying parents access to the school to collect their children.
"The one cop over at Oak Forest was very nice. He told me what he knew so far -- that all the kids were safe and nothing had happened yet," said Gary Rowe, who has children who attend Greenwood Middle School.
A group of parents who were forced to park their cars in the parking lot of the Berkeley Veterinary Clinic on Malloy Street huddled together -- hoping someone might have information they had not yet received. Many of them were upset at the lack of details and at being prevented from getting to their children.
At 2:45, buses already inside the perimeter were allowed to load up with students and leave the area. Parents who had arrived early enough to get to the school before the police blocked the roads also left with their children. The remaining parents had to wait an additional 10 to 15 minutes before East Ash Street opened back up.
Carmon said investigators interviewed the suspect -- a juvenile -- and that he or she would be charged via juvenile petition.
Juveniles charged criminally are not identified publicly due to privacy laws.
This marks the second time in four days police, fire and rescue services have responded to a bomb threat.
A similar threat against the Walgreens on Wayne Memorial Drive was made Tuesday. No one has been charged in that case.
"We can say definitively the two cases are unrelated," Carmon said.
In a press release issued Friday, the charges against the juvenile were specified. According to state statutes, making a false bomb threat to a public building is considered a Class H felony.
Penalties, according to state statutes for a conviction of such a felony, could include fines, court costs and restitution. An adult with prior convictions could face between 4 to 25 months in prison for a Class H felony.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore said he was pleased with the response from staff and students.
"Our staff did what they were supposed to do," Dunsmore said. "When I got there, they had already responded according to their protocol. They had their emergency response folders open."
The teachers and staff were able to access all of the students' parental contact information and had gotten them to the predetermined rallying points, he said.
"As the superintendent and leader of the school system, it is good to see that the staff responded and followed procedure," Dunsmore said.
He also thanked the local police, fire and rescue agencies for their rapid and professional response, and he said Col. Mark Slocum, commander at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, had extended an offer of any assistance if necessary.