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Four students charged in connection with bomb threats at Madison High School in Richland County

All four students were taken to the Richland County Juvenile Attention Center and face felony charges.
(Photo: Mansfield News-Journal)

MANSFIELD - Four students have been arrested in connection with two bomb threats made this week at Madison High School, Maj. Joe Masi of the Richland County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

A girl was arrested Friday in connection with the first threat of the week, in which a note found at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday in the girl's bathroom. The note read: "School will blow up at 2:00 p.m." School officials evacuated students with the assistance of the sheriff’s office. The school was searched and nothing was found.

Officers arrested the girl they believe wrote and placed that note and took her to the Richland County Juvenile Attention Center. Masi said she will be charged with second-degree felony inducing panic. Madison’s school administration and sheriff deputies worked jointly on the investigation.

Deputies then arrested three more students Friday in connection with a note found at 1 p.m. Thursday at the school. Those three students were taken to the Richland County Juvenile Attention Center. Two of the students were charged with inducing panic and the third student was charged with third-degree felony obstructing justice after providing false information to deputies.

"These two incidents of bomb threats were taken very seriously by Madison Schools and the sheriff’s office," Masi said in the press release. "With the recent tragedies across the nation involving school violence, the sheriff’s office has consulted with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office to charge these students with the most serious offenses in hopes of deterring future threats. We encourage students that if they see or hear of any threats towards other students or the school to report the information so that it can be investigated immediately."

ztuggle@gannett.com

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