Teen arrested in Middletown High School bomb hoax

A suspicious package is being treated as a potential bomb threat forcing Middletown High School to close early today and locking down the adjacent middle school that shares its campus. Students have been ordered to wait in the track stadium on campus for buses and parents to pick them up. (Photo By Rick McCrabb/Journal-News)

A suspicious package is being treated as a potential bomb threat forcing Middletown High School to close early today and locking down the adjacent middle school that shares its campus. Students have been ordered to wait in the track stadium on campus for buses and parents to pick them up. (Photo By Rick McCrabb/Journal-News)

A 17-year-old boy is facing a felony charge for allegedly putting a fake bomb in a boys bathroom Wednesday at Middletown High School.

The unidentified device, described by the Butler County Bomb Squad as a hoax device, was located near a urinal and the school was evacuated.

This resulted in an early dismissal of the high school. With the assistance of surrounding agencies, the building was secured and determined to be safe.

As the result of an investigation, the student was identified and found to be responsible for placing the device in the bathroom. He is charged with inducing panic, a second-degree felony, and school discipline was administered. The teen was not taken to the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center.

He will have to appear in juvenile court when a date is set.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

A news release form police states: “The Middletown Division of Police and Middletown City Schools are dedicated to the safety and security of the students and staff. Threats to the safety and security will be investigated and will not be tolerated.”

Mike Grimes, commander of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office bomb unit, said the device was made to look like a bomb.

He said an X-ray was taken of the device, which also was inspected remotely. Once no explosives were found, it was turned over to the Middletown Police Division.

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