Trish Bennett, Editor
ASHVILLE – Students were evacuated for several hours from Teays Valley High School on Friday morning due to a threat discovered on a girls’ bathroom wall in the building.
Sheriff Robert Radcliff did not provide details of the threat, but he said law enforcement and school officials agreed it was specific enough to remove students from the area while the building was thoroughly searched.
The search, conducted in cooperation between Ashville Police, the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and the Harrison Township Fire Department, along with the Franklin County and Ross County Sheriff’s Offices, turned up no real threat inside the school.
The threat was discovered and reported about 8:30 a.m., and students were permitted to return to the campus about noon.
Chief Doug Clark, Ashville Police Department, said students in the freshman building were transported to Village Chapel United Methodist Church during the investigation, and students in the high school building were transported to Teays Valley East Middle School.
“We all decided we should evacuate both buildings due to the demeanor of the threat, so they brought in some bus drivers and bused the kids rather than have them walk to certain locations,” Clark said. “I have to say, that was very nice of the church to open their doors and take these kids in. They didn’t have to do that, but it was very, very nice of them.”
Clark said investigators will be going through surveillance videos to determine who may have accessed the bathroom prior to the threat being found.
Officials have been firm in past instances of threats against Pickaway County school districts and press criminal charges when suspects are identified.
Friday’s threat remains under investigation.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
