Threats phoned into Libby schools deemed unfounded

Police are investigating threatening phone calls made to the Libby Elementary School and the Libby Middle High School late Wednesday morning.

According to Libby Police Chief Scott Kessel, the calls were received at 11:30 a.m., Oct. 12. The call threatened violence and officers responded to both schools. Once there, they identified juvenile suspects involved and determined that the threats were unfounded.

“When the investigation is complete, appropriate charges will be filed. At no time was there a credible threat to the students,” Kessel said.

Kessel said his department was investigating involvement outside of Libby.

Libby Superintendent of Schools Ron Goodman echoed Kessel’s comments that the threats were not credible.

“There is no way of proving if the kids who made the calls were local,” Goodman said. “When we called the numbers back, they didn’t seem to have much knowledge of Libby, so we don’t think they are current students.”

Goodman said no students were sent home and classes went on uninterrupted, but he wasn’t sure if any students were picked up by parents or guardians. Notification was made to parents at 1 p.m. via phone calls, emails and text messages, he said.

“We take the threats seriously and it certainly provides consternation for the parents and us here, but law enforcement did a really good job responding and looking into the threats,” Goodman said. “We increased our supervision here and had police presence here.”

Goodman said the school has received threats before. Among them a threat in October 2021 that was received on social media that later proved to be a hoax.

Going further back, according to a story in The Western News, a student at the middle high school found a message on Oct. 4, 2018 in the boy’s bathroom indicating that a shooting would occur on Oct. 10. The threat was deemed not creditable by law officers.

Goodman said other threats are taking place across the state.

“It’s not new, but it’s unfortunate,” Goodman said.