A 15-year-old student who allegedly threatened a shooting last month at Wood River High School has been released from custody but is barred by court order from being on Blaine County School District property.
The boy, who lives in Bellevue, was released Monday afternoon from the Snake River Juvenile Detention Center in Twin Falls. He was held at the Blaine County jail following his arrest on April 29 and transported to the Twin Falls facility following his arraignment on April 30.
The boy was arrested by Hailey police at the high school after school let out for the day.
The student has been charged with a misdemeanor count of "threatening violence on school grounds" for allegedly writing a note threatening a shooting at the school on April 22, two days after the 10-year anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo.
In addition to being barred from school property, the boy is also required to wear an ankle-monitoring bracelet.
The case file regarding the boy has been sealed by Magistrate Court Judge Mark Ingram.
The school district board of trustees will convene a hearing regarding disciplinary action against the boy at its board meeting on May 12. Disciplinary hearings are not open to the public.
The note the boy allegedly wrote was found in an upstairs boys' bathroom at the high school on April 21. Hailey police and school district authorities decided to take the note seriously and the district's security plan was implemented. The high school was thoroughly searched that evening and police were at the school in force the following day to search students and their belongings before entry was allowed into the school.
Security remained tight at the school until the boy's arrest. Police also patrolled other schools in the Wood River Valley as a precaution.
Costs of the security measures taken because of the threat have not yet been fully determined, but the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is investigating the possibility of obtaining restitution.
"It is unclear at this point if restitution is recoverable upon a plea or conviction," Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas said. "But we are actively researching the legality of seeking restitution given the number of man hours expended to ensure everyone's safety at the school."
Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said the costs to his department were between $20,000 and $30,000, most of it for overtime for the search of the high school and for heavy staffing of the school on April 22 and 23.
"I don't know if we can or can't get restitution," Gunter said. "It might be just part of the cost of doing business."
Costs incurred by the school district and the Blaine County Sheriff's Office were not available Tuesday.
The school district released a press release Friday that states it "wishes to thank the entire community for its support during the recent situation at Wood River High School. After the initial threat was neutralized, the Hailey Police Department, working cooperatively with our high school administrators, were persistent in bringing this situation to a conclusion. Thankfully, we can jointly announce that we no longer have safety concerns regarding this situation."
"We're back to normal, but we're still going to maintain an increased presence," Gunter said.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Things are somewhat normal at Wood River High School now following intense police presence at the school on April 22 and 23. A student accused of threatening a shooting last month was released from custody on Monday but is barred by court order from being on school property. Photo by David N. Seelig
