PORT ANGELES — A juvenile male was taken in custody Wednesday in connection with a message containing a possible threat that was found in a bathroom at Port Angeles High School.
Jason Viada, Port Angeles Police Department deputy chief of police, said the male was arrested at 9:30 a.m. in the high school parking lot when he arrived for class. He was unarmed at the time.
The suspect was booked into the Clallam County Juvenile Detention Facility, where he will appear in court Thursday to face possible charges.
According to an email sent to families Tuesday from the Port Angeles School District, the threat suggested it would be carried out Wednesday. The Port Angeles Police Department was immediately notified and began an investigation into the source of the message.
District and school administrators worked with law enforcement to address and assess the event.
“We are grateful for the cooperation and vigilance of our entire school community in responding quickly and responsibly to this situation,” the district said in an email sent to families Wednesday.
The high school operated on a normal schedule Wednesday but with an increased police presence on campus from the PAPD, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Police, the National Park Service and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team.
“It is important to emphasize that the response to this incident was a cooperative effort between the school district, law enforcement and stakeholders in the community, all with a common goal for people to be safe, and feel safe, at our high school,” Viada said in a statement.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
