Essex schools locked down after gun, bomb threats

ESSEX — Area schools went into lockdown Wednesday morning after police received a call from a man threatening to show up at Essex High School with firearms and explosives.

Police received the call just before 10 a.m., and schools went into lockdown quickly afterward, according to Essex Police Capt. George Murtie. The caller made demands and said if they weren’t met he would “do harm” to those at the high school, Murtie said.

Essex schools informed parents via emergency text message and issued a news release telling the public of the lockdown.

Murtie declined to comment on the nature of the caller’s demands, saying they relate to the ongoing investigation. Police are following leads and had been in contact with the caller, who at one point spoke with a negotiator. Police are working on identifying the suspect from those communications, Murtie said.

Officers from surrounding towns and the Vermont State Police, including the bomb squad, searched the school and established a perimeter around the property. Police found no armed person, explosives or cache of weapons, Murtie said.

“Right now we are shifting into investigation mode to see who made the call and what the motivations were, and to apprehend that person,” Murtie said just after 1 p.m. during a briefing with reporters.

Murtie said the threats were specific to the high school and were more “elaborate” than other bomb threats in the past. Asked to clarify, Murtie said Wednesday’s threats included “more detail” and “more information than ‘the school’s going to blow up’ or something like that.”

Police coordinated with school officials to release students to anxious parents Wednesday afternoon, many of whom lined the police perimeter as they waited for their children to be escorted from the school. Murtie said police will maintain a presence at the high school and other schools in the community until a suspect is in custody.

Gov. Phil Scott told a WCAX reporter Wednesday afternoon, after Murtie’s briefing at the scene, that a suspect was in custody, but his chief of staff later clarified that officers were merely interviewing someone as part of their investigation.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Scott said, “Our top priority is keeping these students, teachers and staff safe, and I appreciate our state, local and federal law enforcement officers’ quick response.”

“I understand this might be a particularly stressful and upsetting incident for a community that only a decade ago experienced a tragic school shooting at its elementary school,” Scott said, referring to a 2006 incident where five people were shot, two fatally, at Essex Elementary School.

“I want to assure the community, you are in our thoughts, and our agencies of Human Services and Education have plans in place to support the school district following this incident,” Scott added.

For video of Murtie’s briefing, click here.

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