Bomb threat discovered at Harbor Ridge Middle School

A bomb threat scrawled on a bathroom wall was discovered Wednesday evening at Harbor Ridge Middle School.

No bomb was discovered after a four-hour search of the school buildings and grounds and the school operated Thursday as usual.

“(We) found nothing unusual,” Gig Harbor Police Chief Kelly Busey said. “No cause for alarm.”

A janitor came across the handwritten threat in a boys bathroom just after 8 p.m. Wednesday and informed school administrators, Busey said.

Police were contacted and an extensive search of the building and grounds was done by officers, Principal Mike Benoit and Vice Principal Brian Wickens.

Harbor Ridge parents were notified of the incident in a letter sent Thursday morning. The letter further stated that, as a precaution, additional security would be present in the school on Thursday.

The additional security consisted of a police presence, along with the school resource officer, said Kathy Weymiller, director of Community Outreach for Peninsula School District.

The police presence likely will not continue past Thursday so the school can return to normal operations, she said.

“I really think the kids feel safest in a situation that feels as normal as possible,” Weymiller said.

She added that students’ safety was the district’s No. 1 priority and that the administration was paying close attention to the climate of the school and students’ response to the incident.

Police will continue to investigate the incident and attempt to identify the handwriting of the person who made the threat, Busey said.

Anyone with information on the threat is asked to contact the Harbor Ridge office at 253-530-1916.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Bomb threat discovered at Harbor Ridge Middle School."