PORT ANGELES — The State Patrol Bomb Squad found no explosive devices on the Port Angeles High School campus after it was evacuated Tuesday due to a bomb threat.
The threat was phoned into the high school at 9:51 a.m. and deemed to be a credible threat by the Port Angeles Police Department and the school staff, so they evacuated the campus.
“I do have details about what the person said and the circumstances surrounding the call, but it’s too early in the investigation to say more,” said Jason Viada, Port Angeles deputy chief.
“The threat was credible enough to evacuate the campus, and that was absolutely the right decision.”
The school district reported on its website Tuesday morning that it had closed its campus for investigation.
There were 1,000 students on campus and 122 staff members. Many students were loaded onto buses to be taken home, while others left in their own vehicles or were picked up by parents at the intersection of Peabody Street and Park Avenue.
Once students were completely evacuated from the campus, PAPD put in a call to the State Patrol Bomb Squad, which arrived on the scene at about 1 p.m.
The squad searched the school with the assistance of police dogs. The search concluded at about 2:20 p.m., and no explosive devices were found.
The investigation has been turned over to detectives with the PAPD.
This is the second time the high school has been threatened with violence this year. In April, a threat was spray-painted on the walls of the boys bathroom and included a racial slur.
At this time, there is no known connection to the two events.
“You are not the first to bring that up. It’s too early in the investigation to discuss any connection of these events,” Viada said.
Both the Port Angeles School District and the PAPD will provide further updates to the investigation as it unfolds.
________
Reporter Ken Park can be reached by email at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
