No charges expected in report of threat that locked down city schools
Published 8:49 am Monday, August 25, 2014
No charges are expected to be filed after an investigation into a report of a threat that resulted in the “soft lockdown” of all the city schools Wednesday.
Elizabethton Police Department Chief Greg Workman said all parties involved had been interviewed and that no evidence had been discovered that would allow for charges in the case.
“Unless something new comes up that has not been discovered in the investigation, there will not be any charges placed in the incident,” he said.
He added that the parties involved could choose to press charges independently.
The issue on Wednesday stemmed from a reported threat against members of the congregation of East River Park Christian Church.
However, after talking to the potential suspect and completing a consent search of his home, Workman said on Wednesday night that no evidence could be found to support the claim of the threat.
As a safety precaution, the city’s five schools were placed on a “soft lockdown,” which means that the school day continues as normal inside, but students are not allowed to go outside.
Superintendent of Schools Ed Alexander said at the time the lockdown was a safety precaution to help ensure the student safety.