A 17-year-old boy police believe to be affiliated with the C.I.D., or Criminals Initiating Damage, street gang was arrested Friday after he allegedly e-mailed a bomb threat that shut down Lake Havasu High School.
Police took the boy into custody about six hours after administrators at the school read the threatening e-mail and notified police. After evacuating the school by releasing students for the day, authorities were able to trace the e-mail to a computer at the boy’s residence on North Palo Verde Boulevard, said Lake Havasu City spokesman Charlie Cassens.
“It was really quite amazing, with modern technology, phones and e-mail, that really no one can escape anymore,” LHHS Principal Kathy Cox said.
According to Cassens, the boy’s e-mail, which was time-stamped 11:57 p.m. Thursday and sent to several people at the high school, claimed three devices were planted at the school timed to detonate at 12:20 p.m. Friday.
Cox said she didn’t read the e-mail until about 8 a.m. Friday, by which time Assistant Principal Dale Genger had already notified police.
School officials worked with law enforcement to implement an orderly release of the students by 11 a.m., Cox said. Parents were notified through an emergency calling system and students were allowed to use their cell phones to arrange rides home.
“I’m really proud of the students, how they conducted themselves,” Cox said. “The parents were just great. We want to thank them.”
The threatened time of an explosion came and went without incident, Cassens said, and police took the suspect into custody at about 1:45 p.m. While authorities interviewed the boy, bomb technicians and specially trained dogs systematically searched the school and found no explosive devices.
The streets around the school were closed until about 2 p.m.
Cox said the suspect is a former LHHS student but no longer attends the school. He was one of a group of juveniles involved in a vandalism spree at the high school a year ago, Cassens said.
The boy has been charged with threatening and intimidating, a class-3 felony, disruption of an educational institution, a class-6 felony and participating in a criminal street gang, a class-2 felony. He was remanded to Mohave County juvenile authorities in Kingman.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if anyone else was involved in the bomb threat, Cassens said.
You may contact the reporter at dparker@havasunews.com.



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