16-year-old girl arrested after threat that shut down two Puyallup schools today
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A 16-year-old girl was arrested and administrators canceled school on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Emerald Ridge High School and Glacier View Junior High as authorities investigated a threat.
Puyallup police held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, saying the Emerald Ridge student had been arrested after posting threats on the social-medial site ASKfm in which she threatened to blow up the school.
Shortly after noon, detectives from the Major Crimes Unit served a search warrant in Puyallup and recovered potential evidence from the residence before the arrest.
Here is a video of the Puyallup Police Department briefing on the threat and arrest:
An agency in Europe, where ASKfm is hosted, learned about the threat and notified authorities in Washington, D.C., who then alerted Puyallup police.
Earlier in the day, the Puyallup School District posted the school closure notice on their website and social media pages. Administrators said they decided to close the two schools as a precaution for the safety of all students.
"There is an active investigation taking place between the Puyallup Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department regarding a threat made to Emerald Ridge High School. Because of this, and to provide for the safety of all students on the high school and junior high campus, CLASSES AT ERHS AND GLACIER VIEW JH WILL BE CANCELLED today, Tuesday, October 4, 2016."
Police told Q13 News that the threat that closed the schools had nothing to do with clowns.
However, deputies said later in the day that they found two clown masks on a trail near Rogers High School.
The FBI said they had joined the investigation as well, saying: "At the request of the Puyallup Police Department, the FBI is assisting with its investigation. The FBI routinely provides assistance to our law enforcement partners, simply to offer additional manpower and specialized resources, if they become necessary."
Investigators said the threat was specific to Emerald Ridge High School and there were no safety concerns for other Puyallup schools. Classes at the junior high were also canceled because of its proximity to the high school.