Williston student charged in bomb threat; Barnwell threat under investigation

Williston-Elko High School and Barnwell High School each received a bomb threat in the first week of 2023 – one via phone call, and one via text message.

Williston

A bomb threat was made to Williston-Elko High School (WEHS) around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4 resulting in evacuation and charges being brought against the caller.

Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) cleared the three Williston schools of any threat with assistance from Savannah River Site (SRS) bomb dogs around noon the same day.

“Nothing was found,” said BCSO Chief Deputy Darlene Cook of the alleged bomb.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was brought to investigate the source of the threat as it was made via phone call to the school.

SLED determined the source of the call before 3 p.m. the same day and alongside BCSO, were swiftly able to identify the caller.

A WEHS student was found to be responsible for the bomb threat and was subsequently apprehended and charged for doing so.

This is a felony crime and a non-juvenile would be facing up to ten years in prison. Due to this individual being a juvenile, the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) will be a part of the criminal process.

The caller will be appearing in court and sentenced for this offense.

“We would like to assure the community that every threat will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, and anyone responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We trust that this arrest will restore a sense of normalcy to the community and our school district and put anyone on notice who is contemplating similar behavior that it will be treated with zero tolerance,” stated the Barnwell County Consolidated School District in a press release.

Four buses were sent from Barnwell School District 45 to aid in transporting the students to a safe location while law enforcement cleared the scene. Four regular drivers were sent alongside Director of Transportation, John Hilton.

“All three schools are going to be evacuated for safety,” said Roger Riley, Barnwell County Director of Emergency Management.

Parents were then notified by the schools as to the location of their children.

“The BCCSD Board of Trustees and Administration would like to thank Sheriff Griffith and the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Department, Chief Gainey and the Williston Police Department, Mr. Roger Riley and the Barnwell County Emergency Management Team, Pastor Steven Burnette, Pastor Jamie Wootten, BCCSD Faculty/Staff, and Parents and Guardians for the swift response to the unfounded bomb threat,” stated BCCSD in the press release.

“We are so grateful that all scholars, faculty, and staff are safe and accounted for. We would like to thank our community members for the unwavering support and for always remaining positive and cooperative as we work through these unfortunate situations,” writes BCCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Marcella Shaw in the Facebook post made by BCCSD.

This is the first bomb threat to WEHS in 2023. In late May of last year, successive threats were made to the high school resulting in canceled senior-year events out of precaution.

Barnwell

A Barnwell School District 45 employee received a text message on the morning of Friday, Jan. 6 alleging there was a bomb in Barnwell High School.

Law enforcement was notified at 10 a.m. and BSCO, the Barnwell Police Department, SLED, and the SRS bomb dog promptly responded. The building was cleared allowing school day operations to proceed as normal.

“We were able to trace it back to a name, but that name was not a person we could pinpoint,” said BCSO Chief Deputy Darlene Cook. “It’s a fictitious name, we are sure.”

Law enforcement was able to locate the ‘name’ of the caller around 11 a.m. the same day.

There are a variety of factors to be considered when locating the origin of the text message, which can be sent through a plethora of social media apps that do not necessarily require users to use their own identity.

This stands to be the first threat via text message law enforcement officers and educators have seen in Barnwell County.

Only high school students and staff were evacuated as the text message was specific to the high school. Guinyard Butler Middle School, Barnwell Elementary School, and Barnwell Primary School all entered a soft lockdown.

After receiving the text message, the BSD45 employee notified administration and immediately called law enforcement.

“As always, we are extremely grateful to our school and district staff for initiating our emergency management plans quickly and efficiently,” said Barnwell School District 45 (BSD45) in a statement.

“We are so grateful for the Barnwell County Sheriff's Department, our Emergency Management Director and staff, as well as all other emergency personnel who respond so quickly when there is a need. Thank you to everyone! The safety of staff and students is always our utmost priority,” said the statement.