December 15, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins High School – Bigfoot99 file photo
Bomb threats to multiple school districts in Wyoming on Wednesday caused the schools in Rawlins to evacuate.
Around 11:00 Wednesday morning, Carbon County School District One staff received emails stating that explosives had been placed in the schools. Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said Carbon County was one of four counties to receive threatening messages. Chief Ward said Rawlins police worked with the Sheriff’s Office and school staff to investigate the threat.
On Wednesday, Carbon County School District One posted a statement on its official Facebook page saying it had, “received an email [Wednesday] 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.”
Rawlins Police Chief Ward said students were briefly evacuated while law enforcement, fire fighters, and school staff searched the buildings.
Chief Ward said after confirming that no explosive devices had been planted, the students returned to class.
The Rawlins police chief said representatives from Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were on scene soon after the threats were received. Chief Ward said DCI is conducting an investigation into the source of the threatening emails.
Chief Ward said tracking the origin of the emails may be difficult because criminals often use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to obscure their location.
Chief Ward said threatening emails are not a new phenomenon. The police chief said Wyoming schools received similar false threats last year. Chief Ward said despite signs of being a hoax, law enforcement must take every threat seriously.
Chief Ward thanked the agencies that assisted in the search for explosives. The police chief said he appreciates that everyone can work together during an emergency.
Chief Ward said the motive of the person who sent the bomb threats isn’t known at this time. Wyoming DCI will continue to investigate the source of the messages.
