Two charges have been filed against one juvenile. It is alleged that the student made bomb threats, and committed a terrorist act.
Currently that student is on supervised home confinement. Another MHS student, who has been charged with disruptive behavior on school property and obstructing an officer, is in juvenile detention at this time.
Altogether four students have been suspended and and more charges are likely to be filed in the near future, according to Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Haught.
Throughout the Ohio Valley in the past two weeks similar hoaxes have occurred at Cameron High School and in the Harrison Hills School District in Cadiz, Ohio. The four Cameron juvenile suspects have been charged with threats of terrorism, falsely reporting emergency situations relating to a bomb and disturbance of schools. The Harrison County students have been charged with inducing panic and are in custody of a juvenile detention center in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
The bomb hoaxes that occurred in Wetzel County on Oct. 12 at New Martinsville School, and on Oct. 24, 25, and 26 at Magnolia High School are being investigated by New Martinsville Police Detective Donnie Harris and State Police Sgt. Jeff Andreas.
On Oct. 26 several local educators and law enforcement officials addressed the students at Magnolia High School to impress upon them the dangers associated with bomb threats, and the nature of the penalties that may be levied at the perpetrators of these crimes against the school and the community. Speaking to the students that day, in addition to Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Haught were Wetzel County Sheriff James Hoskins, Board of Education President Dr. Paul “Butch” Barcus, Principal of MHS T.W. Haught, Sr., New Martinsville Police Chief Tim Cecil, State Police bomb expert Mike Fordyce, and Sgt. Jeff Andreas. Also speaking to the students at the old Nazarene Church where they were kept in safety during the bomb search was Robyn Fitzsimmons, of the Wetzel County Board of Education.
Haught expressed that every effort was made to maintain order and security throughout the incident. The list of law enforcement and safety officials who were on duty and volunteering is extensive, but Haught said he would like to express his gratitude for the professional manner in which the entire bomb threat, evacuation, transportation, investigation and subsequent charges were handled.
“These men and women are owed a debt of gratitude,” Haught said.
Those who responded and participated in the evacuation, transportation and investigation of the hoaxes are: State Police representatives Fordyce, Andreas, and officer Clint Lantz and K-9 “Jarno,” bomb technicians; The Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department, including Sheriff Hoskins, Chief Deputy Rob Haught and K-9 “Mauser.”
Deputy Rob Scott and K-9 “Hawk,” Deputy Roger Spragg (Special Response Team), Deputy Eric Daugherty (SRT), and Deputy R. Adams; from the New Martinsville Police Department, Chief Tim Cecil, Captain Mike thomas, Sgt. Steve Kastigar, Patrolman Don Larsen (SRT), and Patrolman Tony Thomas (SRT); on stand-by from Sistersville, Police Chief Kevin Angelilli and staff; and a representative from the State Fire Marshal, officer McGinnis also responded to the call of duty.
From the schools, Haught said both staff and educators at NMS and MHS did a “wonderful job” of notifying the 911 dispatchers, maintaining a calm demeanor and evacuating the schools in an orderly and safe fashion. The dispatchers contacted the necessary law enforcement officials at state and local levels who worked with the schools to plan the next steps of evacuation, bomb sweeping and investigation into the crime.
New Martinsville Street Department, under the direction of Gary Lemons, and the New Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Larry Couch, helped set up road blocks to keep sightseers and parents away from the school area so law enforcement could do their job.
After the most recent threat on Thursday was deemed to be a hoax, Sheriff Hoskins, several of his deputies, Chief Cecil of the NMPD and some patrolmen volunteered to stay at MHS to walk the hallways and grounds to calm the students and school staff and to maintain security. Also Haught was there most of the day Wednesday and intermittently on Thursday. Law enforcement continues daily to make their presence known at Magnolia.
Haught said he was pleased with the professionalism of all involved in maintaining the students’ safety, and overall he was complimentary of the manner in which the MHS students dealt with the hoaxes. His only disappointment was not with the students, teachers, or safety officials, but rather with some of the parents, “whose acts of hysteria were counter-productive to the goal of keeping everyone safe.”
Haught also commented that gossip during the bomb threats was not helpful and very disturbing. He advises in any potential emergency situation, “Don’t listen to gossip; don’t repeat damaging rumors which could incite panic and cause unnecessary stress among students or parents.”