Bullying led to Banks County bomb threat

HOMER - A Banks County High School student faces terroristic threats and acts charges after a bomb threat that disrupted school on Monday.

 

That's according to information just released by the Banks County Sheriff's Office.

 

According to Sgt. Carissa McFaddin, school personnel notified the sheriff's office after BCHS received a written bomb threat.

 

McFaddin said Sheriff Carlton Speed requested explosives detection K-9s from sheriff's offices in Habersham and Hall counties. A search of the premises found no device and rendered the facility safe.

 

"The Banks County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Division processed the entire scene and reviewed school videos along with additional documents.," McFaddin said. "Investigators were able to identify a person of interest who was determined to be a current juvenile student at Banks County High School. Upon interviewing the student, he confessed to generating the threat which derived from bullying."

 

McFaddin said a search of the student's home revealed the student wasn't seeking to harm anyone or manufacture an explosive device, but instead to cause a disruption at the school.

 

Following a medical evaluation  at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, the student was released to officials with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, where he will await court proceedings.  

 

"We appreciate all federal, state and local agencies that assisted us during this investigation," Speed said. "Due to the threat charges being presented after the students had been dismissed for the day, we were able to conduct a very thorough search of the school property before any students were allowed to return to the school. At no time was there a real threat to the students, and we were able to contain panic throughout the community by using all of our available resources."

 

The Banks County Sheriff’s Office and the Banks County Board of Education were assisted by Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Explosive K9 Team, Hall County Sheriff’s Office Explosive K9 Team, Georgia Bureau of Investigation EOD, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Banks County Emergency Management Agency, Banks County Fire and EMS, Banks County E-9-1-1, and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.