Thursday, January 29, 2026 |
Photo – Carbon County School District #2 – Bigfoot99 file photo
A “threatening message” resulted in the evacuation of Platte Valley schools.
At 8:55 a.m. on January 28th, Carbon County School District Two sent an alert stating that a threatening phone call had been received. Speaking to Bigfoot99 yesterday afternoon, Saratoga Police Chief John Moore explained that the Encampment K through 12 School and Saratoga Middle High School received voicemails late Tuesday evening. Using a voice changer, the caller claimed explosive devices had been placed in both schools and threatened to shoot students if they were removed.
The following morning, staff at the Encampment and Saratoga schools listened to the messages and, per school policy, immediately called law enforcement and evacuated the campuses. Chief Moore said he and Sergeant Ken Lehr arrived at Saratoga Middle High School around 8:00 a.m. While Sergeant Lehr monitored the evacuation zone, Moore said he searched the school. After determining that no explosive devices were present, he gave Carbon County School District Two Superintendent Darrin Jennings the “all clear”.
Encampment and Saratoga students were permitted to return to class at 9:42 a.m. Around that time, Chief Moore said he was notified that 13 other Wyoming schools had received similar threats, including schools in Washakie, Teton, and Laramie counties. Police maintained a presence at the Encampment and Saratoga campuses until the 1:00 p.m. deadline passed without incident.
As further details were released, Chief Moore said it became evident the calls likely originated outside the community, as schools in Nebraska and possibly nationwide received similar messages. The Saratoga police chief said the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation is now overseeing the case.
The matter is now in the hands of Wyoming DCI. Carbon County School District Two Superintendent Darrin Jennings said his staff will assist in any way they can.
In December of 2023, Rawlins High School received a similar bomb threat. At the time, Carbon County School District One posted a statement on its official Facebook page saying it had, “received an email that is believed to be a “swatting” email that several states across the country have received. We are working with the Rawlins Police Department in response to this threat. The message was received by other districts across Wyoming and is believed to not be a viable threat at this time.” Chief Moore said yesterday’s incident was reminiscent of that previous event.
Following the incident, Superintendent Jennings wrote, “I would like to thank our staff and our law enforcement for the amazing work today and every day.”
Yesterday’s bomb scare did offer one positive outcome. Saratoga Police Chief John Moore said the threat served as a training exercise, strengthening the department’s ability to respond to future situations.
