Local law enforcement continues investigation into potential school threats - WHSV

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - Valley investigators continue to look into two potential threats made to schools in Staunton and Augusta County Monday.

Students at Wilson Memorial High School (WMHS) saw a video online regarding a potential threat to an unknown school, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. ACSO said there was no specific mention to a particular school, and it didn’t seem to target WMHS, even though the video was discovered by a student there.

ACSO and school officials placed the schools within the complex on a modified lockdown, and additional deputies were moved in. According to ACSO, there’s no current threat to Augusta County Schools, and the threat is still under investigation.

Just eight miles away, Staunton High School dealt with a potential threat as well. The Staunton Police Department said in a release they received a report of a possible bomb threat.

Staunton PD and the Staunton Fire Marshal’s Office are conducting a joint investigation, the release stated. Perry Weller with the Fire Marshal’s Office said the threat doesn’t appear to be credible, but the investigation is ongoing.

“Nothing was found at the school so right now we continue to investigate where the threat came from,” said Weller.

Weller said to determine whether or not a possible threat is credible, they have to take many steps.

“In the message that’s received or sent out, you gather information about where it may be, see if it’s targeting individuals or institutions or buildings. Then we use resources to verify if anything’s found or not,” he said.

Although threats to schools seem to be increasingly common at times, Weller said that’s not necessarily the case.

“It’s a lot in the forefront now just because of social media. I guess the good part is that it seems like more people are actually reporting things when they happen,” he said.

If you know anything about either threat, you’re asked to contact the appropriate locality, either Augusta County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 245-5333 or Staunton Police at (540) 332-3842.

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.

source: https://www.whsv.com/2022/02/15/local-law-enforcement-continues-investigation-into-potential-school-threats/

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