LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — An anonymous person called in a bomb threat on Monday morning, which prompted a lockdown at Lake Minneola High School that lasted hours.
Several neighboring schools were placed on a soft lockdown as Lake County deputies investigated the threat, including Grassy Lake Elementary, Minneola Charter, and Pinecrest Lakes Academy.
The lockdown began shortly after 9:00 a.m. and wasn’t lifted until just before dismissal at 2:20 p.m.
The school district said before noon that the threat was not credible, but the lockdown remained in place out of “an abundance of caution.”
As soon as the lockdown was issued, parents started lining up outside of the main gate to the school.
Parents told Channel 9 they were ready to pick their children up as soon as the lockdown alert lifted.
“Just started panicking, to be honest. I came flying back,” said Adal Lopez, who had dropped his son off late this morning and rushed back to the school as soon as the alert was issued.
Lake County deputies said three sniffing dogs swept campus, clearing the parking lot and then each classroom inside of the massive 2-story high school.
Natalia Popour, a Lake Minneola High School Junior, said she was in band class when the lockdown alert was announced over the speaker in the morning. She was instructed to hide in the locker room until she was permitted to move to the main band room, where she remained for over five hours.
“At the beginning everybody was a little scared,” said Popour, “They had a dog come in sniffing for something, I don’t know what, but other than that we were just chilling not doing a whole lot.”
Popour texted her parents throughout the lockdown, providing updates. Her father was waiting outside when the lockdown finally lifted.
“Being able to actually see her and have her in our arms it means more than anything,” said Natalia’s father, Jason.
Other parents told Channel 9 that they were relieved the threat turned out to be a hoax, but expressed disappointment that someone would do such a thing.
“It’s, very distressing,” said Ellie Hanson, a Lake Minneola High School Parent, “I just can’t imagine. Because this does happen for real in other areas. So, the fact that someone would joke about it, it is very disappointing.” An anonymous person called in a bomb threat on Monday morning, which prompted a lockdown at Lake Minneola High School that lasted hours.
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