Stolen Vehicle Recovery and Bomb Threat
This morning just prior to 8:00 a.m., Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an anonymous call of a suspicious vehicle parked in the backyard of a residence located in the 1300 block of North Progress. The caller provided a license plate which showed the vehicle as a reported stolen Toyota Camry.
When Deputy Loucks arrived in the area, he observed the Camry traveling east on 12th Avenue from Progress. Deputy Loucks turned around and caught up to the vehicle as he waited for additional patrol units to assist. The driver turned south on Sullivan, slowed, and turned into the Central Valley High School parking lot.
Deputy Loucks, not wanting to escalate the situation due to the numerous students arriving for school, did not initiate a traffic stop. He maintained his distance and observed the vehicle while the Central Valley School Resource Deputy Speer was quickly notified of the incident. Deputy Speer, who was working inside the school, notified school officials of the incident and quickly began searching for the suspect. For the safety of the students, school staff immediately began to place the school in lockdown.
The suspect parked the Camry in the parking lot and exited the vehicle. He walked into the school as staff worked to secure the students and facility. He exited through one of the back doors and was last seen fleeing away from the school grounds on foot.
Several Deputies, including a Sheriff’s K9 Unit, searched for the suspect but were unsuccessful.
At approximately 9:00 a.m., a student reported a bomb threat after reading a note written on a bathroom wall. School officials and staff, with the assistance of the deputies already on scene, evacuated the school. Deputies and K9s searched the school.
Just prior to 10:30 a.m., the school was deemed to be safe and the threat false. School officials allowed the students to reenter and classes resumed.
The Camry had been reported stolen early this morning just before 5:30 a.m., from the 11300 block of East 10th Avenue. The victim reported the vehicle was warming up and there was a pistol in the trunk when it was stolen. The pistol was not located when the vehicle was recovered.
The investigation into both of these incidents continues and, although the timing of them is suspicious, it is unknown if they are related.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
Update: Juvenile Arrested for Making Bomb Threat
This afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m., Central Valley High School Resource Deputy Cole Speer arrested a juvenile male for Threats to Bomb or Injure Property, a felony.
Through interviews and school surveillance video, Deputy Speer, working with Central Valley High School staff, developed information identifying the juvenile as the suspect who wrote the threat on a bathroom wall of the school earlier this morning. The threat contained tomorrow’s date and caused an evacuation and thorough search of the entire school.
Deputy Speer learned the reason for the threat was the hope that school officials would cancel classes tomorrow. The suspect was transported and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Facility.
Although an apparent hoax, threats like these are very serious. They pose a threat to everyone at the school, disrupt school activities, worry parents and pull law enforcement away from other calls for service.
This threat does not appear to be related to the earlier recovery of the stolen vehicle and fleeing suspect.