On Thursday, March 22, Central High School in Brooksville received their sixth bomb threat in four days. It came to an end when the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of the Central High students, a 17-year-old female, on Friday, March 23.
Starting Monday, March 19, the students and faculty of Central High School have been harassed with the bomb threats, forcing the evacuation of the school and disrupting what normally is a stable learning environment.
Each threat turned out to be nothing more than a hoax, with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office finding nothing dangerous on campus after each thorough search.
It was initially reported that there were only five threats, since the first two were called in just four minutes apart on Monday, at 12:43 p.m. and 12:47 p.m. The third was called in on Tuesday at 7:42 a.m. with two more following on Wednesday, at 7:29 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. The sixth and final threat was called in on Thursday at 7:25 a.m.
These calls have resulted in multiple counts on multiple charges for the girl. These include the false report of a bomb, the unlawful use of a two-way communications device, the misuse of E-911 and the disruption of a school function.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, while discussing the possible reasons behind the calls, noted that it was still too early to speculate as the arrest had just happened shortly before the press conference announcing it.
“I think students, unfortunately, don’t always think about the practical consequences of their actions. I’m sure that this individual, right now, is regretting her actions,” said Sheriff Nienhuis.
Sheriff Nienhuis wanted to make sure that everyone realized the severity of the situation, noting how this can be a teaching moment for anyone thinking the threats were anything less than criminal.
“Students need to learn from this, we will track them down, we’re good at this we do it all the time,” said Sheriff Nienhuis.
When asked about possible school based punishments, Dr. Lori Romano, Superintendent for Hernando Schools deferred to Sheriff Nienhuis, as the girl has already been arrested.
“There are very serious consequences and we will follow the law and apply those consequences to the utmost degree,” said Dr. Romano.
She was also intent on making sure everyone know that safety was at the top of her and every school district employee’s mind, making sure that the schools in Hernando County are some of the safest around.
It has been a trying week for the Sheriff’s office with another scare, a suspicious package left in a newspaper dispenser by the Twistee Treat near 50 and Mariner. Officers responded swiftly, taking preventative measures and having members of the Citrus County Bomb Squad come in to investigate the item after an alert county bus driver noticed it. Thankfully, the package was harmless and there was no threat to the public.
That package was left by 50-year-old Bradley Alan Tirrell, and is not believed to be connected to the Central High School threats in any way.
Now that the bomb threats are done and an arrest has been made, students at Central High School can move on from this scary week and look forward to finishing the school year and enjoying their summer vacation in a few months.