Girl, 14, charged in bomb hoax

The students and staff at Alleghany High School were evacuated from the premises Sept. 20 after a bomb threat was found written on the wall in an upstairs girl's restroom at around 12:30 p.m. No explosive device of any kind was found in the school.

A 14-year-old girl has been charged with making a false report of a bomb, a Class H felony, in connection with the incident, according to Det. Tim Bartlett of the Sparta Police Department. Juvenile petitions are not public documents.

The student, whose name was withheld by authorities because she is a juvenile charged with a crime, has been suspended for 365 days per North Carolina School Board regulations, said AHS Principal Paul Crouse. "This may have started off as a joke, but we take these things very seriously considering the nature of society today," said Crouse. "Making a bomb threat against a school is a felony and cannot be taken lightly."

He said that the students and faculty were escorted to Jarrett Field after the threat message was discovered, where they remained until the end of the school day.

Crouse offered thanks to everyone who helped make sure the school was safe. "We want to thank the fire department, the sheriff's department, town police, emergency management and the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) who were involved in helping us carry out our evacuation procedures," Crouse said.

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