DUBUQUE – An Iowa high school suffered a terrorism threat, and students and staff hid while cops searched for a bomb; now a student is arrested facing felony charges.
In early February, NIT reported that the Dubuque Police Department responded to several reports involving someone threatening violence at Dubuque Hempstead High School. These incidents included someone calling 911 and making reports that were later determined to be false. However, these threats caused undue stress on persons and resources within the school district, the police department, and within the community.
Police immediately began investigating these threats and recently identified a 16-year-old Dubuque Hempstead student as the source of them. This student is not allowed on school property and has been charged with making a threat of terrorism, a class “D” felony in the State of Iowa. A class “D” felony carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine up to $7,500.
Threats of violence directed towards any Dubuque schools, including their staff and students, are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly by the Dubuque Police Department, the agency said in a statement. This investigation is still on-going and the identity of the minor that has been charged will not be released at this time.
