Student suspected in connection with Cloquet High School bomb threat

Cloquet Police along with Cloquet School District staff today identified the individual responsible for the bomb threat made at the high school on Tuesday morning.

A 17-year-old male Cloquet High School student has been suspended from school and released to his parents, according to a school district news release.

The case will be forwarded to the Carlton County Attorney's office for review for possible charges. Felony terroristic threat charges could be considered, Cloquet Deputy Police Chief Terry Hill said.

Cloquet High School is in session today after area police officers and a Duluth Police dog trained in detecting explosives searched the building yesterday afternoon.

"Our search did not turn up anything suspicious," said Ken Scarbrough, Cloquet School District superintendent. "[There are] no out-of-the-ordinary incidents to report today."

Officials called police Tuesday upon learning of a written bomb threat at the school.

"On a desk, someone wrote a bomb-related message ... to take place on May 13," said Cloquet Police Detective Darrin Berg. "So we take it seriously."

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Duluth Police Officer and K-9 handler Brad Wick and his trained police dog Abe thoroughly searched the building with Cloquet Police detectives and school officials.

The Cloquet Police Department had also conferred with the 148th Explosive Ordinance Division and indicated they were available to help if any suspicious packages or devices were located.

Police had more of a presence at the school Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Through investigation detectives were able to identify the student, who admitted his actions, Hill said.

The student, a junior, reportedly did not go any further in his threat than to write it down.

"They male told detectives he was having trouble in a particular subject in school and didn't want to go to school today," Hill said.

Parents and guardians were given the option to keep their children home Wednesday and many did so. More than 200 of 700 students were absent, Hill said. A letter was sent home with students on Tuesday informing them of the situation.

Cloquet High School officials went through a similar exercise two years ago after a threat was written on a bathroom stall. School was closed for one day in that incident after locks on some of the doors to the school had been tampered with. No one was arrested or injured two years ago