Logan City police vehicle outside Logan High School
LOGAN — Law enforcement has tracked down the primary suspect behind a reported bomb threat at Logan High School late Monday night. The male juvenile was located Tuesday morning at his home.
Logan City Police Assistant Chief Jeff Simmons said the juvenile was interviewed with his parent’s consent and cooperation. The boy, who is a student at Logan High, admitted to posting the threat via social media in an attempt to be humorous and there was no seriousness to the threat whatsoever.
“Something that he and probably a lot of young folks don’t understand is that when you do something like that we have to take it serious,” explained Simmons. “We can never take that in a humorous way. We have to take it serious and so it invokes an enormous response by law enforcement.”
Police were first notified of the Instagram post Monday night that included a bomb threat directed specifically at Logan High. Officers began investigating to identify the perpetrator and ensure the safety of the campus. It included summoning multiple bomb sniffing dogs from the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and Utah State University Police Department.
Simmons said, once the bomb crews arrived on the scene it took law enforcement almost three hours to search the entire campus. They also cleared the neighboring Seminary Building and Logan Rec Center.
“We found that there is no credible threat and that the school was safe. That is the best outcome but nevertheless, resources had to be diverted from other needs. So there was an enormous cost both financially for our resources and in our ability to help others when something like this happens.”
Logan City School District Superintendent Frank Schofield explained that classes at the high school were delayed two hours, meaning they started at 10 a.m. Tuesday. All school buses followed their normal routes but delayed by two hours as well. No other schools were impacted.
Simmons said the identity of the suspect is being withheld due to their age. Charges are expected to be filed in juvenile court pending the completion of officer’s investigation.
“We’re in consultation with the Cache County Attorney’s Office to determine appropriate charges in this case based on all that we’ve learned and are still gathering. The case is still ongoing to determine if there were any other persons that might have been involved.”
A small group of police remained at the school to monitor the situation. Staff were also available to meet with students who needed to process their concerns in order to feel safe.
will@cvradio.com