MORRIS - A Morris Area High School student will serve 30 days in the Moorhead Juvenile Detention Facility after he was found delinquent for making a Feb. 6, 2007 bomb threat at the school.
Stevens County Attorney Charles Glasrud said the boy, who was 14 at the time of the threat, was found delinquent for committing terroristic threats following a one-day trial earlier this summer.
In addition to the detention time, the boy was placed on supervised probation for an indeterminate time, and was ordered to write a letter of apology by Stevens County District Court Judge Gerald Seibel.
Seibel stated that it appears people are now aware that area judges are willing to send children to detention for acts they might perceive as a "prank."
At approximately 1:05 p.m. on Feb. 6, 2007, a bomb threat against the school was discovered in one of the bathrooms. The threat did not identify individuals, Morris Area Superintendent Scott Monson said.
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The boy reported the threat, and after he was questioned and school and law enforcement could not be certain it was a hoax, school was dismissed early.
Glasrud stated that the weather was extreme cold on the day of threat, and closing school early inconvenienced -- and possibly endangered -- many people, including children who were at home alone.
Monson stated in a letter to the court that a number of younger students were scared by the incident and worried about the safety of their friends and teachers.
The investigation and trial also posed an inconvenience to several people working on the threat, including a handwriting expert who investigated the threat and testified in court, Glasrud said, adding that students should understand that the state will not hesitate to prosecute those involved in such cases.
"This case is a good example of how far we will go to make sure someone takes responsibility for a threat of violence," he said.
