By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The writing found on a student’s desk early last month – “Ima shoot up the school 11/10.” – that prompted a search of everyone entering Centralia High School the following day was just doodling, according to the 16-year-old girl who subsequently turned herself in to police.
Principal Josue Lowe informed parents over the weekend the incident was solved and the individual responsible had been removed from school.
The Centralia Police Department this morning announced its investigation led to a suspect by comparing school reports and the handwriting on the desk.
She initially denied involvement, but returned later with her parent and confessed, according to police.
The girl told police she was doodling and forgot to erase it, and had no intention of following through with what was taken as a threat.
The 16-year-old student was then arrested, on Nov. 13, for felony harassment and booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to detective Patty Finch.
The day after the message was discovered, officers from several agencies searched all students prior to their entry into the school.
It was less than six weeks earlier that a message discovered on a desk saying a student was planning to kill people at an assembly later in the day, prompted an hours-long lockdown and search at the high school. That threat prompted the postponement of Homecoming activities.
Finch said detectives don’t have any evidence the two incidents are related to one another. They don’t have a suspect in the Oct. 2 incident, she said.
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For background, read “Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup – NOTE THREATENING TO SHOOT UP SCHOOL” from Tuesday, November 10, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter