Ephrata High threat determined non-credible
A threat on social media was reported to authorities early Tuesday morning, resulting in Ephrata High School informing families that wanted to could keep their children home from school that day as an excused absence.
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EPHRATA – A social media threat led to the Ephrata School District excusing student absences Tuesday morning after it was reported to authorities. The threat was determined not to be credible by investigators.
“In this instance, we were able to track down and find the subject who we thought was responsible relatively quickly and we were able to contact the subject and his parents,” said Ephrata Police Department Chief Erik Koch.
Koch said that a person who saw the social media threat notified law enforcement. From there, investigators were able to quickly track down and locate the individual to whom the account belonged.
Koch stated the threat vaguely indicated that the person that posted it intended to carry out a school shooting at what was most likely Ephrata High School due to the age of the subject. The investigation into the threat is ongoing but investigators do not believe the threat was credible.
“We had contact with the subject and parents. He did not have access to firearms,” he said.
The individual to whom the social media account belonged is a minor and allegedly was not in control of the account at the time the threat was made.
“(We’re) following up with these leads and trying to figure out exactly who did what and whether or not there’s criminal charges to be pressed,” Koch said.
Koch said investigations into social media threats can take some time to work through.
In response to the threat being determined as non-credible, Ephrata School District notified families of the situation and said any families who wanted to keep their students home Tuesday would receive an excused absence.
“This is why we practice our plans and why we work with law enforcement to make sure we are prepared in a situation like this,” said Sarah Morford, Communications Director for ESD.
Kich said anyone who sees a threat on social media or elsewhere should report the threat to authorities immediately, even if it might not seem credible.
The Ephrata School District asks that any parents whose students were absent call the school at (509) 754-5285 if they have not already. The district stated that the absence will be excused, but they need to verify that the parent authorized the absence.
Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.