Police alleged a threatening message found on the wall of a student restroom at Marguerite Maze Middle School last week warned the office to evacuate the school Friday because of a bomb, according to the Hollister School District.
The message was reported late in the afternoon Wednesday, according to the release. That evening, police conducted a “thorough and systematic” search of the school and found no threats, according to a district statement.
The police department has yet to release a statement that gives the motive and identity of the person—or people—that wrote the message. The school resource officer is the one that is investigating it and he is still investigating, David Westrick, the Hollister police chief, told the Free Lance on Tuesday morning.
School was in session at all the district’s campuses, including Maze, on Thursday and Friday. Maze had been set for a security detail Thursday night and the entire campus had been set for a police search prior to the start of the school day Friday, according to the district’s press release. The chief did not discuss the details of the bolstered security at the site.
“I don’t like to talk about security when it comes to bomb threats,” Westrick said. “It defeats the purpose of security.”
There was extra patrol from the police department, he said.
“I did hear they actually hired private security for the evenings,” the chief said.
Look back for more.
