UPDATE: Winchester Bomb Threat a Hoax

By Benjamin Cox on May 15, 2019 at 5:30pm

The Winchester grade school bomb threat was an apparent hoax. A student made a bomb threat in regards to a battery pack charger in the principal’s office and claimed one was in a classroom as well. Two students overheard the threat and reported it to school officials. The school was initially swept by Scott County Sheriff’s deputies and Winchester City police.

As a safety precaution, the Illinois Secretary of State Bomb Squad was brought in with a dog unit to ensure there were no other threats.

According to a statement released by Winchester Superintendent Dave Roberts, students were never in any immediate danger and were taken off site during this time. Kindergarten through 3rd grade had dismissed for lunch to a nearby church, while remaining elementary school students were released to the high school auditorium. Students were cleared to return to the school by 1pm.

School officials wanted to caution parents and family members about social media reports on the incident, as initial eye witness reports were proven incorrect or false.

Roberts says that the student who made the initial threat was released to police custody and would not be returning to the school for the final 7 days of the school year.