Two Ann Arbor schools were targeted with phoned-in bomb threats at roughly the same time Monday afternoon, sending officers to Slauson Middle School to evacuate the building even though most students had already been dismissed for the day. Police searched the school and found nothing suspicious, and investigators have since determined that neither threat was credible.
Officers responded to Slauson Middle School Monday afternoon after a report of a possible bomb threat, according to ClickOnDetroit. Most students had already left for the day by the time police arrived, but officers evacuated the remaining students and staff still inside as a precaution, per the same report. A search of the building turned up nothing suspicious and no evidence of an explosive device.
Ann Arbor Open K-8 received a similar threat around the same time, according to The Michigan Daily, which reported that both schools got bomb threats over the phone Monday afternoon. ClickOnDetroit reported that the two threats occurred at approximately the same time and that investigators requested any information the public might have about the calls.
Neither Threat Contained Specific Details, Police Say
Investigators said neither threat contained specific details and instead described a hypothetical “what if” scenario, the station's report states. Based on that assessment, both threats have been deemed not credible, though the investigation remains active and involves collaboration between Ann Arbor police and Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Ann Arbor Police Department at 734-794-6920 or email [email protected], per the same account. No further details about who made the calls or why have been released.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Michigan School Threats
Monday's incident adds to a string of bomb threats against Michigan schools in recent months, though outcomes have varied. A threat written on a bathroom wall at Renton Junior High School in Huron Township was determined not to be credible in May after police and K-9 teams searched the building, according to CBS News Detroit. A separate threat against Swartz Creek High School's Performing Arts Center was also deemed not credible after K-9 sweeps turned up nothing suspicious, ABC12 reported, and police there arrested a person allegedly responsible for the threatening post, though that individual had not been identified as of the report.
Not every case ends the same way. Kingsley Area Schools in northern Michigan evacuated buildings after district administrators received a threat late in the school day, which they deemed credible, and contacted the Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office, according to MLive. Buildings there reopened as normal the next day even though no explosives or other evidence of a threat were found. For now, Ann Arbor police have not said whether Monday's threats will lead to any arrests, and the investigation into who made the calls continues.
