A misdemeanor charge has been dismissed against a former Wood River High School student who was accused of writing a note in April threatening a shooting at the school.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, had been charged with "threatening violence on school grounds." The Blaine County School District's security plan was implemented after the note was found in a boys' bathroom at the school on the afternoon of April 21. The school was thoroughly searched that evening and police patrolled the school in force on April 22-23.
Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas explained the dismissal Thursday in a written statement to the Idaho Mountain Express.
"I did indeed file a motion to dismiss the case," Thomas wrote. "The basic reason was that the alleged threat note did not meet the requirements of the statute. Specifically, the alleged threat was not specific to any particular group or individual, it did not state that a firearm would be used and the threat was not specific as to it going to happen on school grounds."
Thomas wrote further that "we still viewed this as a potentially serious situation and applaud the school district and local law enforcement for taking immediate actions to insure the protection of the students and faculty."
The school district board of trustees expelled the student in May. According to district records, the student has not applied for readmission.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
