Center Line High School student charged after bomb threat

CENTER LINE — A 15–year-old Center Line High School student is facing a 20-year sentence after he allegedly made a bomb threat at school Feb. 8.

On Feb. 9, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office issued a news release that stated the male student allegedly wrote a bomb threat note, which a teacher found. The school was evacuated and searched but no bomb was discovered.

On the same day, the student was charged in Macomb County Juvenile Court with making a false report of a threat of terrorism, a 20-year felony. Macomb County Juvenile Court Chief Referee Linda Harrison denied bond based on the seriousness of the offense. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21 before Macomb County Juvenile Court Referee Michael Gibbs.

“The gravity of this offense and its impact on campus security is serious,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a prepared statement. “We will prosecute this reckless behavior to hold the juvenile accountable for his actions.”

Because the incident is going through the court system, Center Line Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Haynes could only disclose a few details. According to Haynes, the note was found at the end of the school day prior to dismissal. He declined to comment on where the note was found and what the note said. Center Line public safety officers were on the scene immediately.

“The police were involved right away and the student was detained. While the police and administration questioned the student and investigated the incident, the school day ended,” Haynes said in an email. “As a precaution, police recommended that they sweep the building. We cleared the building of staff and athletics teams, who were just starting their practices, and canceled all evening events to allow the police to complete their tasks.”

Communication about the incident was sent to all families of the district, Haynes said. A follow-up email also was sent to high school families once the police completed their sweep of the building and gave school officials the “all clear.”

“I was very pleased with how the high school administrative team and police worked together to address this incident,” Haynes said. “I would also like to acknowledge our neighboring communities that shared their public safety staff and resources.”

He said all threats are taken seriously.

“Each building has an emergency operation plan that details responses to a variety of emergency situations,” Haynes said. “These plans are reviewed annually in partnership with our local police departments.”