RANGELEY – A bomb threat tucked beneath a computer keyboard cleared out the Rangeley Lakes Regional School Friday afternoon, but authorities say the alarm was a false one.
A female student discovered the note, which stated “This is a bomb,” tucked under the removable keyboard of an Apple iBook laptop she was using, said Rangeley Police Department officer Steve Townsend, who was the first responder on the scene. She reported the note to a nearby teacher, he added.
The Rangeley Fire Department and the ambulance also were dispatched immediately to the scene.
The state bomb squad out of Augusta was called in.
After completing an X-ray of the computer, it was determined that the threat was fake, said Townsend.
The laptop was confiscated by police as evidence and, according to the release, “The school officials along with police department and fire department heads will be conducting a review of the events and this opportunity will be taken to refresh faculty, staff and students on procedures and practices in a threat situation.”
Townsend said now the hard part will be nailing down a suspect. “Right now, everybody is a suspect,” he said Monday. “It’s a process of elimination.”
The goal is to find the suspect and determine his or her intent with the bomb scare, Townsend said.
The laptop is one of several at the school that students and faculty can sign out and take home, and Townsend said reviewing the sign-out log heads his list of priorities.
If caught, the person behind the threat could be charged with either felony terrorizing or causing false public alarm, a misdemeanor.
Anyone with any information about the threat is urged to contact the Rangeley Police Department at 864-3579.
sdepoy@sunjournal.com
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