SVHS Cleared After Lockdown and Bomb Threat

UPDATED:  is now cleared after a false bomb threat which placed the school on lockdown and called in the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department's Bomb Squad. 

School staff found the 'bomb' – a sign reading 'This is a Bomb,' taped to a garbage can which was circled with 'caution' tape – around 12:50 pm, in the center rotunda, near a set of portable classrooms, Sgt. Dave Thompson said.

"That’s all we need to evacuate the classrooms and make sure everyone’s safe on campus," Thompson said.

Students were confined to their classrooms after the threat, while the bomb squad along with several members of the Sonoma Police Department and the Sonoma Fire Department were called to campus.

Using a bomb detecting robot device, the bomb squad cleared the area ten minutes after their arrival at 2 p.m. Students were evacuated around the sides of the building at 1:55 p.m., in time for regular dismissal.

“The school did a really good job of locking the school down and coordinating around the area," Thompson said.

A 17-year-old male student admitted to staging the 'bomb'; he was charged with making criminal threats and presenting a false bomb report and was arrested and booked into  juvenile hall.  Five other students were cited for their involvement in the incident.

This is the second incident since the start of school: fire, staged by unknown students.

In total, at least a dozen public safety officials spent their afternoon handling the threat.