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Weapon threat at local school ruled unreliable

<p>Recently elected city councilperson Amber Franklin has led the charge to add a social worker to OPD.</p>

Recently elected city councilperson Amber Franklin has led the charge to add a social worker to OPD.

By Abbey Gingras, News Editor

Wednesday morning, Oxford families were on high alert after an unidentified person directed a weapons threat - not a bomb threat - toward local schools.

This threat came via email, when at least five other area schools received bomb threats that same morning.

The other Butler County schools evacuated, but Talawanda continued on a regular schedule after police conducted an investigation and determined the threat to be unsubstantiated.

Oxford Police Department (OPD) officers, who responded to the incident, weren't sure what to expect, but Sergeant Jon Varley said officers believed a gun to be present.

"It was brought to our attention that Talawanda could be targeted," Varley said. "So we sent officers to the schools."

However, OPD later determined that the threat was more directed at Hamilton schools, not Talawanda, Varley said.

"There is no credible evidence that there is any danger to Talawanda students," Talawanda officials said in a press release.

Varley said he believes that, while the incident in Oxford was not the same threat as the one targeting schools in surrounding areas, they're likely looking at one suspect.

"The incident that happened here was a separate incident than what happened at those other schools," Varley said. "Those were bomb, threats. It's probably going to be the same person responsible for both."

Butler County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the bomb threats, was not available for comment.

For now, the threats do not appear credible and Talawanda continues to operate as usual.

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These threats come almost a year after a bomb threat was made at Miami University's Hughes Hall on Oct. 31 last year.