Bomb threat called into school

RONAN — Ronan High School was evacuated Wednesday afternoon when an anonymous caller reported a bomb in the building.

“The school was cleared and the building was searched, nothing was found and students were returned to class,” Superintendent Andy Holmlund said of the less than two-hour procedure. “It’s something that we train for and we drill ourselves to do. We have to be prepared for many things that, generally, we don’t have to think about.”

Holmlund said the operation went quickly and smoothly and there was seamless cooperation between the school and local law enforcement. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal officers, Ronan police and fire departments all responded to the call, which was made at approximately 10:30 a.m.

“This was precautionary,” Sheriff Jay Doyle said of the evacuation, which relocated about 300 students to the football field while the search took place. “The high school was the only building evacuated, but the others went into lockdown.”

Karen Sargeant, LCSO Public Information Officer, said all of the schools have procedures in place and local law enforcement is trained to respond alongside teachers and school staff.

“It’s a step-by-step cookbook procedure on what to do in an orderly fashion,” she said. “Everything went smoothly and the kids were safe. It shows these great partnerships and how they work together to make sure everyone is safe.”

The caller was apprehended Wednesday and awaits disciplinary action.