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Juvenile arrested in threat to Garden City school bus

A letter found last week contained a threat to a Patrick Henry High School bus.

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Annie McCallum | 981-3227

Friday, August 30, 2013

Roanoke police have arrested a juvenile on a charge of making threats to bomb in connection with a letter found last week that threatened a school bus serving Patrick Henry High School.

Police obtained a juvenile detention order and arrested the suspect Wednesday, according to a police news release. A judge issued a no-bond order Thursday, police said.

Police discovered a written threat against school bus No. 66 last week after responding to a report of suspicious activity in the 2900 block of Garden City Boulevard. There officers found a glass jar with firecrackers and what they believed to be flammable liquid. They also found a letter, dated Aug. 19, “containing threatening words directed at a Roanoke city school bus,” according to police.

Spokesmen for the school system and the police wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the threat earlier this week. A police spokesman did say there was no evidence that attempts were made to carry out the threat.

A school system security staffer has been riding the school bus with students this week while the investigation has been ongoing.

Patrick Henry High School Principal Joe Jablonski placed an automated call to parents of students who ride bus No. 66 on Thursday morning, informing them an arrest had been made.

“We are confident there is no longer a threat,” Jablonski said in the call. “Effective this afternoon, security personnel will no longer ride the bus.”

Saturday, September 14, 2013