On Tuesday March 15th, at approximately 11:30am, a call was received through the Columbia County Combined Communications Center regarding a possible explosive device at Columbia High School.
Although a device was not initially located, students were evacuated from the building and law enforcement responded to investigate further. It was determined that a more thorough search of the campus was necessary and the assistance of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was requested.
While awaiting the arrival of the bomb squad, students were transported to an off campus location to be picked up by their parents. CCSO worked closely with personnel from the school district and other area agencies to follow established evacuation protocols.
A search of the campus was conducted using specialized K-9 teams with the bomb squad. After exhausting all available resources, no suspicious devices or packages were located.
Sheriff Mark Hunter stated, “Although these situations can be alarming, I am thankful for the partnerships we have with every agency involved to ensure the safety of our children. Our safety protocols were tested and were successfully implemented through this team effort.” Sheriff Hunter continued saying, “At this time, the campus is as safe as we can possibly determine and we will continue to work with school officials to make our children feel safe when they return to school tomorrow and in the future.”
Investigation into the threat is still ongoing. If anyone has additional information regarding this incident, they are urged to contact the Detective Division at (386)758-1095.
