Jackson Co. bomb threat revealed as hoax

COMMERCE - An alleged bomb threat on Wednesday in Jackson County saw state and local authorities swarm East Jackson Middle School, where the threat was later revealed to be a hoax.

According to Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum, a School Resource Officer assigned to East Jackson was initially informed of the potential threat by a student at the school. Authorities were quickly notified, and the entire school was evacuated so that the threat could be investigated.

Mangum said that a number of law enforcement and other agencies were on scene during the search and investigation, including the Georgia State Patrol, the University of Georgia Bomb Disposal Unit and Jackson County Emergency Medical Services.

The investigation eventually yielded information, Mangum said, that indicated to authorities that the threat was fabricated. Personnel with both emergency services and the school were notified of this discovery, and all activities related to the search were called off.

Mangum did not reveal the person or persons behind the hoax, but said that there were a number of charges currently pending in the incident. These include Terroristic Threats and Acts, Disruption of a Public School and Transmitting a False Public Alarm.

Mangum said the investigation into the threat is ongoing.