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Police probe BI bomb threats
Prank could cost student prison time
0906 Thomas Cribbs
Maj. Det. Thomas Cribbs
Bradwell Institute initiated its safety protocol twice in one month, on Aug. 19 and 24, after bomb threats in graffiti in a boys bathroom were discovered.
The school was placed on lockdown until school administrators could ensure the safety of its 1,750 students and faculty.
“They take any and every bomb threat seriously,” said Hinesville Police Maj. Thomas Cribbs.
He said the bomb threats are still under investigation and no one has been charged.
At 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 19, a custodian at Bradwell Institute told school officials that while she was cleaning one of the bathrooms, she noticed graffiti on the walls. The graffiti was written in pencil and said, “Bomb threat, kill teacher,” according to a Hinesville Police Department incident report. The high school initiated its bomb threat protocol, and the school returned to routine activities after a search was conducted.
The second bomb threat, again in the form of graffiti, was discovered by a teacher This graffiti, like the first incident, was written in pencil in another boys bathroom. According to the police report, the message said, “Bomb at 3.” The school was again placed on lockdown.
When a school goes into lockdown, students remain in their classrooms until a thorough search of the building and grounds is conducted and routes to and from campus are confirmed to be secure, Bradwell Principal Dr. Vicki Albritton said.
“We actually do not evacuate unless there’s a suspicious package or a suspicious incident,” Albritton said.
She said the student or students responsible for the bomb-threat graffiti may be under the impression the school will evacuate based solely on the threat. Albritton added the perpetrators also don’t understand the seriousness of the crime.
“They don’t realize it’s a felony charge,” Albritton said. “Once I announced it over the intercom, it (the behavior) stopped.”
A bomb threat that disrupts regular activities is defined as “transmission of a false public alarm,” according to Hinesville police. If convicted, the crime is punishable by one to five years in prison and the graffiti would be a separate offense, they said.
Albritton stressed that every school has a safety plan in place and these plans are regularly reviewed and updated throughout the school year.
“That way, the faculty and staff know immediately how to respond,” she said.
Aside from the two graffiti bomb threats, Bradwell Institute has had a smooth start to the school year, the principal said. 
“We have a lot of good kids,” Albritton said.

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