Students at Chelsea Elementary School were evacuated early Wednesday afternoon after the discovery of the word “bomb” in a bathroom stall in the second floor boys’ bathroom.

Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies, who responded at 12:39 p.m. to a report of the discovery, identified the word written in blue pen and then scribbled out.

Deputies completed a search of the building and found no suspicious items. Deputy Aaron Moody requested a bomb-sniffing dog from the Maine State Police, but the dog found nothing suspicious in the building.

According to a news release from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, all the children were either picked up by family members or taken by bus after an early dismissal.

Sheriff Ryan Reardon said it appears to be a case of someone noticing the word and reporting it. No further investigation is underway.

“We can’t not investigate,” Reardon said. “We can’t not clear the building. This is about public safety. No one wants to take a chance.”

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Threats against schools are not uncommon.

Police were posted as a precaution in June at schools in Jefferson and South China after a generic internet threat against a teacher at “Jefferson High School in Maine.” Jefferson, part of the Central Lincoln County School System, Alternative Organizational Structure 93, has no high school.

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ


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