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UPDATE: Bomb threat called in at Fruitville Elementary


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  • | 4:00 a.m. September 17, 2013
Sarasota County deputies determined the call made about explosives at Fruitville Elementary yesterday evening was not a credible threat.
Sarasota County deputies determined the call made about explosives at Fruitville Elementary yesterday evening was not a credible threat.
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"The threat, allegedly made yesterday by a woman in Jacksonville to a man in Texas, involved a person who works at the school and their private vehicle, not the school itself," according to a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office press release.

Earlier: The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office responded to Fruitville Elementary in reference to a bomb threat yesterday evening.

School security, Sarasota County deputies and other county personnel began the investigation at roughly 9 p.m. Monday, but did not find any weapons. Local authorities have determined the call was not a credible threat, according to Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Community Affairs Manager Wendy Rose.

"(The call) was made to someone out of state, and we have no reason to believe the person made the threat has been in the area," Rose said.

Below is the transcript of a phone message Fruitville Elementary Principal Laura Kingsley sent to parents at around 6:45 a.m. this morning, provded by Sarasota County School District Spokesman Scott Ferguson:

"People may have observed a presence of law enforcement at the school late last night, and I wanted to let you know what was going on.

The Sheriff’s Department received information late yesterday from an out of state individual referencing a possible explosive device on our school campus. Even though it is extremely unlikely for there to be any truth to this threat, administration, staff and law enforcement thoroughly searched the campus to verify there was no credible threat.

The safety of our students is our highest priority at Fruitville, and staff and law enforcement will continue to be extra vigilant.

Thank you for understanding that we felt it necessary to inform parents of what is happening even though it meant making such an early call.

We look forward to seeing you and all of our K/1 and autism team DADS today (and the rest of our DADs later this week for take your Dad to school week)."

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it becomes available. 

 

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