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Bomb threat prank put Port Clinton schools on lockdown

All Port Clinton City Schools went on lockdown Tuesday morning after an apparent threat to the high school, which turned out to be an April Fool's Joke.
The threat focused on Port Clinton High School, but all schools were put on lockdown as a precaution.

PORT CLINTON, OH (Toledo News Now) - All Port Clinton City Schools went on lockdown Tuesday morning after an apparent threat to the high school, which turned out to be an April Fool's Joke.

According to Det. Sgt. Corbin Carpenter with the Port Clinton Police Department, the high school received a 911 call from a phone that had been disconnected around 9:45 a.m. The caller claimed he was going to take a bomb to the high school at 10. The caller indicated it was not at the school yet.

As a result, everyone near school was searched and schools were locked down.

Nothing happened at 10 a.m. but authorities took every precaution and treated it as a real threat. Emergency services, including Port Clinton's fire and police departments, as well as Border Patrol, cleared the school and swept the buildings. Cars in the parking lot were also checked.

Pat Adkins, superintendent for Port Clinton City Schools, tweeted "Threat against PCHS appears to be a prank. HS is currently being searched as a precaution. Other bldgs have resumed normal operations.​"

Shortly after noon, Adkins tweeted that all buildings were clear. The lockdowns lasted about two hours.

"It was a little nerve racking. We weren't sure what was going on, so we were trying to figure out what was happening," said one student.

Adkins has been the Port Clinton superintendent for 10 years. He says this isn't the first time the school has received a threat like this. His staff was trained to handle it.

"Whenever it comes down to you having to implement it, we are ready to do that. We think things went pretty well and in about 20 minutes, our police chief was standing inside the high school," said Adkins.

No bomb or true threat was found. Port Clinton police say they are still investigating to find out who made the call.

"This is a very serious activity for us to have to go through and we will be pressing charges on whoever we find," said Adkins.

If you have any information that could help police, contact Det. Sgt. Corbin Carpenter at 419-734-3121.

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