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BELOIT -- The Knox school building will re-open Monday following threats directed toward the building online.
The building will remain closed today. It has been closed since Wednesday after the West Branch Local School District was notified of threats of violence posted online which remain under investigation.
Superintendent Matthew Manley said that the building, which houses the district's preschool, Small Wonder Daycare, and classrooms utilized by the Columbiana County Educational Service Center, will re-open on Monday. A police officer will be stationed at the building from 6 a.m. through 6 p.m. He said that the district had not decided yet how long an officer would remain posted at the building and noted that the district always has its school resource officers on campus during school days.
"We wanted to take every precaution possible to protect our families. We know there's people out there who say stuff like that to get attention, and people that say that because they mean it. I don't feel anyone can tell one from the other right away. We weren't going to roll the dice…We want to make sure that people feel as comfortable about going back as they can. It's a beautiful building and program and many families in our community rely on our childcare to get to work," Manley said.
Manley said that he was contacted about the threats by the Sebring Police Department Tuesday evening after the department received information from the National Threat Operations Center. Manley confirmed that three comments had been made on unrelated YouTube videos stating that the commenter "wanted to shoot up Knox," and that the police department had worked through the night to secure a search warrant.
"I had just started to head home and I got a call from the Sebring Police Department saying, 'there's been a threat we'd like you to come to the police station and go over what's been said online,'" Manley said.
On Wednesday morning, the warrant was executed at a Sebring residence connected to the YouTube account by Sebring police with assistance from field agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). According to a press release issued by the Sebring Police Department, one person "was detained and interviewed by law enforcement" during the operation.
Manley said that law enforcement was investigating the possibility that the threatening comments may have been made by another person utilizing the account, and that another potential suspect was being investigated. The press release says that through their initial investigation "authorities determined that the individual detained may potentially be a relative of the person who originally posted the alleged threats."
"Investigators are continuing to work to determine the circumstances surrounding the social media posts, the identity and involvement of the individual responsible for the original posts, and whether any criminal violations occurred," the release states.
Manley said that the decision was made to close Knox Wednesday while law enforcement executed the warrant, and for the building to remain closed for the rest of the week while the investigation was ongoing.
Manley said that on a typical day Knox welcomes 60 to 80 children during the summer and that during the school year that number rises to more than 200 children. Manley said that Small Wonders had offered to take in some of the children that attend Knox at its Salem location for the week and thanked the daycare for assisting families affected by the closure. Manley also thanked law enforcement officials and the Sebring Local School District for their professionalism and dedication throughout the investigation.
"I can't thank law enforcement enough. We've had some late nights, and they've been working around the clock to try to bring closure to this, so our families have some relief, and nobody has to be scared of getting hurt," Manley said. "Seeing the planning and coordination around this has been so impressive. From both the Sebring Police Department and FBI. I'd also like to thank the administration of the Sebring local School district because the first suspect was near their building as well. I can't say enough good about our law enforcement, the administration or our community and how they've all come together to support our kids and ensure they're safe."
The Sebring Police Department is continuing its investigation "and is working closely with [its] federal partners."
According to the release no further information on the status of the investigation can be released "without potentially compromising the ongoing investigation," and the department "will provide the public with any pertinent information as it becomes available."