(Updated) For the second time in two months, Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta received an emailed bomb threat hoax that forced the closure of the school.
Classes at GSB were canceled Friday, Jan. 13 after the school received an email referencing bombs being placed in the school as well as the homes of four specific employees, according to a press release from the Damariscotta Police Department. The hoax threat closely resembles an incident from Dec. 21, when the school received an email about a bomb being placed in the building and in the homes of four employees.
Law enforcement was made aware of the threat around 7:20 a.m. All personnel inside the building immediately evacuated and there were no students in the school at the time, according to the press release. Buses were rerouted to an off-site location, where police maintained a presence to assist with any safety needs.
In addition to personnel from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Damariscotta Fire Department, Maine State Police K-9 units were called to the scene. After an exhaustive search, the building and grounds were deemed safe and reopened to the public. There were no injuries, and students were returned to their guardians in a timely manner.
The investigation is ongoing.
“Although this appears to have been a similar email as received in December, all departments involved treated this as a serious threat and handled it within policy and protocols,” Damariscotta Police Chief Jason Warlick said in the press release. “The agency is working closely with outside state and federal agencies in hopes to find and hold the individual accountable for their actions.”
The police department is working with school and AOS 93 officials to make a plan to alleviate the need for future evacuations, Warlick said.
