Bomb threat determined to be hoax

According to a press release from Libby Police Chief Cody Ercanbrack, local officials received an email Wednesday morning about a possible bomb threat.

At 9:52 am on Jan. 17, the Libby Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received an email from the Lincoln County Superintendent Suzy Rios. 

Rios advised that that she received an email from the School Administrators of Montana with an attached screenshot of a threat to Montana schools. The email was as follows:

“This was a statewide email sent to superintendents and school board members. It is unclear if all schools were targeted. The state education partners have notified the US Attorney’s office, the State Attorney General and the Governor’s Office.

As with all threats - I would encourage you to take this seriously and follow your school protocols for threats,” Rios wrote in the email.

The emailed threat describes that bombs were planted in schools across Montana as an attack against America. The Libby Police Department worked with Libby Superintendent Ron Goodman in coordinating our efforts to search the schools to ensure the safety of the students. 

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office assisted Libby police in a thorough and extensive search of the Libby Elementary School and the Libby Middle High School. 

Officers and detectives searched the school grounds and outbuildings as well. No explosives were found during the search. The Libby Police Department notified school administrators that everything was safe and that there was no corroborating evidence that showed that the threat was real. The teaching staff and law enforcement will remain diligent in watching for any potential danger at our schools.

“The safety of our children is our top priority, we will always investigate threats to the schools completely and without hesitation,” Ercanbrack said in a press release. The Libby Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office appreciate our local and state school administrators who take the safety of their students so serious. We are grateful for their cooperation and willingness to help with the investigations of all threats.”

In Troy, the school district posted on its Facebook page that its School Resource Officer on campus and vigilant throughout the day as a precautionary measure.

“If the situation changes, you will receive an email directly from the school,” the message read. “While these threats are unfounded, they can certainly cause a great deal of concern and disruption within our school communities. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement are aware of these emails being received across the state. In the meantime, school operations will continue as normal.”