Juvenile charged after bomb threat comment at West Columbus High School

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A juvenile is facing charges after authorities say he told classmates he had a bomb in his backpack at West Columbus High School.

According to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the school on March 6 after a student allegedly made the statement during class.

Officials say the school’s resource officer immediately went to the classroom and removed the student from the building to protect students and staff while the situation was investigated.

Authorities searched the student’s belongings and say no explosive device was found.

Investigators say the juvenile later told authorities the comment was meant as a joke. However, because of the seriousness of the statement and recent threats reported at schools across the region, deputies treated the situation as a credible safety concern.

The sheriff’s office says a juvenile petition is being sought for communicating threats of mass violence on educational property and disorderly conduct.

Officials say a secured custody order was issued and the juvenile, who is listed in the incident report as a 15-year-old, was taken to a juvenile detention facility.