Crime & Safety

Springfield Bomb Threats: 14-Year-Old Charged With Disorderly Conduct

Students were evacuated after the phone threats on Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD, IL —Bomb threats received by four local schools prompted evacuations Thursday morning in Springfield. Late in the afternoon, officials said a 14-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with four felony counts of disorderly conduct in connection with calling in the threats.

The all-clear was given shortly after 11:30 a.m. and classes were set to resume at the four schools, Fox reported.

District 186 told News Channel 20 that someone called in bomb threats at four campuses — Lanphier High School, Springfield High, Southeast High, and Franklin Middle School — starting just before 9 a.m., saying that everyone in the buildings needed to get out.

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"Students and staff at each building are safe, but all schools are being evacuated to sites off campus out of an abundance of caution," the district said in a statement.

News Channel 20 reported that students were evacuated to nearby churches, and parents were notified via automated calls and texts. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

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WCIA reported that the 14-year-old was being held a the local juvenile detention center.


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