Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend evacuated by bomb scare; children moved to fairgrounds

PORT TOWNSEND — Students were evacuated from Blue Heron Middle School on Monday afternoon after a bomb threat was found written on a wall inside the school.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Beezley, acting as spokesman for the Port Townsend Police Department, said emergency responders were called to Blue Heron, 3939 San Juan Ave., at 12:13 p.m.

Children were relocated to the nearby Jefferson County Fairgrounds and were dismissed at their normal 3 p.m. time.

As of 3:50 p.m., State Patrol bomb squad dogs had cleared the outside of the school and 50 percent of its interior.

The State Patrol bomb disposal unit arrived at 3:15 p.m. and was on standby.

No suspicious items or packages had been located, he said.

Beezley said the search was to be finished at about 4:30 p.m.

No suspects have been identified.

No further details were available Monday afternoon.

The school already has been cleared twice during the 2013-14 school year for threats.

It was closed Nov. 6 due to a student overheard discussing bringing a gun to school.

On Jan. 17, it was evacuated because of a message found written on a restroom wall: “Osama bin Laden I will bomb your school.”

No bombs or guns were found in either incident.

A 12-year-old student was found to have written the Jan. 17 note, and the gun discussion proved to be groundless, according to police.

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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.

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