Student arrested after bomb threat at East Valley Middle School; no danger found

Law enforcement, including a Montana Highway Patrol K-9 unit, investigated a bomb threat Thursday morning at East Valley Middle School but deemed there was no actual physical threat, according to district and sheriff’s office officials.

But the verbal threat led to the arrest of a 14-year-old boy, a student at the school, who is being charged with felony intimidation, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, who added that the boy was released to his parents after his arrest.

The East Helena Police Department, MHP and Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to the middle school, 400 Kalispell Ave. North, around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

A report was made that the student at the school told a friend there was a bomb “hidden in the school,” according to a letter that went out to parents from East Helena Public Schools Superintendent Dan Rispens. School administrators and staff evacuated the school and notified law enforcement, and parents were notified via the district’s messaging system, the superintendent said.

School resource officers brought in the MHP explosives K-9, and law enforcement and school administrators cleared the school gym out so students who were taken outside could go back inside to get warm. Thursday was Hawaiian Day at the school and many students were not dressed for colder weather.

Rispens said while that was happening, the student recanted the story. The K-9 unit finished the sweep out of an abundance of caution, he said.

The district is working with the student and their family, Rispens said in the letter to parents, and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating, according to Rispens and Sheriff Leo Dutton.

Dutton confirmed the student's arrest around 1 p.m.

Rispens said the district must take every threat seriously no matter if they seem trivial on the surface.

“We appreciate your patience as we work through this process and are keenly aware that this type of situation can cause serious anxiety for some students and families,” Rispens said in the letter to parents. “There is no ongoing threat known at this time and students are safe in the classes with their teachers.”

He added that the district had a "great" partnership with the sheriff's office and East Helena Police Department.

"We appreciate their support and we appreciate having full-time SRO's on our campuses to help keep kids safe," Rispens told the Independent Record.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include details about the student's arrest.