A juvenile has been arrested in connection to a bomb threat that prompted the closure of nine schools in Northwest Indiana Tuesday.
Schererville police announced the suspect was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon and found all threats to be false.be
District officials canceled classes early Tuesday morning at nine Lake County schools after receiving a phone call late Monday night claiming a bomb had been planted on one or several school campuses.
Thousands of students and faculty were forced to stay home as police officers canvassed the schools with bomb-sniffing K-9 units.
Closed schools included Kolling Elementary, Clark Middle School, St. John the Evangelist and Crown Point Christian School in St. John. Homan Elementary School, three Hammond Baptist Schools, and St. Michael School in nearby Schererville were also closed.
Police received the threatening phone calls overnight, according to superintendent of Lake Central School Corporation Larry Veracco, before the schools notified parents of the closings in a recorded message sent out early Tuesday morning.
Longtime resident and former Schererville school librarian JoAnne Freeland told NBC 5 a bomb scare like Tuesday’s is a first for the community.
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“Total shock,” Freeland said. “This doesn't happen in Schererville or St. John Township. It's gotta be some prank, a kid, or whatever.”
Further details surrounding the threat have not been released, except that specific schools had been named, while others were closed due to close proximity.
