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Cabot schools offer reward for information on series of bomb threats at high school

One student has already been arrested, but the investigation into a series of bomb threats is not completed.

CABOT, Ark. (KTHV) - The Cabot Public School District took the unusual step of offering a $1,000 reward for information about one of its own students.

One has already been arrested, but the investigation into a series of bomb threats is not complete.

Superintendent Tony Thurman announced the reward via social media Monday morning after a bomb threat was discovered, written on the wall of a girls’ bathroom at Cabot High School. It followed a similar threat made on Friday. Less than two hours later, a third threat was discovered in another girls’ bathroom on the campus.

“I think it’s time that we found out who the culprit is of this problem and get on with the rest of the year,” said Robyne Smyth, the parent of a CHS student. “We don’t have that much left!”

More Cabot police officers came to the school to patrol, but students were told that classes would continue on a normal schedule. “They didn’t have us evacuate like they did the first time,” said sophomore Layne Smith, Robyne Smith’s daughter. “They just told us to just keep the doors locked.”

Layne said more precautions were taken Friday when the school investigated that threat. “In third period, there was the intercom call,” she recalled. “And (the speaker) said that we had a lock-in, but it was just a drill, and he said not to worry about it. And then my phone started going off, and it was the automated message saying that it was an official bomb threat, and to stay in third period.” Robyne told us, “At lunchtime, they were allowed to leave if they felt like they needed to leave and go be with their parents and stuff. My daughter did choose to leave until probably around 2:45 when she came back for her seventh-period class. And everything was pretty much back to normal at that point.”

According to a statement from the Cabot School District Monday afternoon, school administrators and police officers determined the suspect in Monday’s two threats who was not publicly identified based on information contained within the first message. According to the statement, the suspect confessed to writing the threats Monday morning and Monday afternoon and was taken into police custody.

A spokesman for the Cabot Police Department said that while detectives are confident they found the author of Monday’s threats, the investigation into Friday’s threat remains open. A spokesperson for the school district confirmed that the reward is still available for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest of that suspect. Both Layne and her mother believe the reward is a good idea.

“I think they need to set an example of this student, that, you know, Cabot is not gonna tolerate these threats against their students and their students’ safety, and the safety of the surrounding community,” said Robyne. Layne believed the reward would make it likely that a student would turn in their fellow Panther if he or she knew who made the threat. “It’s selfish on their part,” she said of whomever caused the bomb scare. “Having other people risk their jobs for something that they didn’t feel good about.”

In the statement announcing the arrest, the school district claimed it would punish the threats’ authors as harshly as possible. “The school district knows that any threat against students and staff is frightening to everyone and we take these very serious,” the statement said. “It is imperative that parents reinforce to our students that any type of threat, regardless of the true intent, against students and staff will result in their arrest and recommended expulsion from school.”

Some students and parents posted online that they were scared to return to school because of the bomb threats. The Smiths said they assume the threats were unfounded and had no fears for Layne’s safety.

“There comes a time,” Robyne Smith stated. “When you’ve gotta trust your school system and trust your teachers, and all the administrative, that they know what’s best for your child at that given moment, that they’ve got (more) insight over what you’ve got as to what’s going on. And also, trust the police officers and all the safety measures that they have in place for our students.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cabot Police Department.

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