Springboro student accused of breaking into school to ‘cheat on a test’

SPRINGBORO — UPDATE @ 3:40 p.m.:

A 17-year-old Clearcreek Twp. boy has been charged in connection with the incident Thursday that prompted the closing of Springboro High School.

The boy was charged with breaking and entering, inducing panic, theft and criminal trespassing.

He is alleged to have stolen “a key from the school and used it to make entry after hours on several occasions,” most recently at 1:13 a.m. and 2:06 a.m. Thursday.

He is alleged to have hidden from staff “several times” and was “escorted out by nighttime janitorial staff.” Officer Aaron Nicely said the student “said he was trying to cheat on a test.”

“The high school had to be closed for the day until investigation could be completed,” Nicely said in charging documents filed in Warren County Juvenile Court. The boy is scheduled for a detention hearing Friday in the court in Lebanon.

UPDATE @ 11:29 a.m.

Police have finished a search of Springboro High School after the a student broke into the school twice overnight, according to a statement from Springboro Schools.

Police did not discover any threat to the building, students or staff.

The student reportedly used a key that was taken from an unknown staff member to enter the school.

“Please note, the key that was used for this has been confiscated by the Springboro Police Department,” read the statement. “That key was only usable in Springboro High School, not any of our other school buildings.”

As a result, all the locks at Springboro High School are being replaced.

While the high school is closed for the rest of the day, all extra-curricular activities scheduled for this afternoon and evening will continue.

Classes will resume Friday morning.

“Springboro Schools apologizes for the inconvenience this may have caused for many members of our community,” the statement read.

Though a staff member was aware of the break in around 1:52 a.m., it was not communicated to administration until 6:20 a.m.

“We apologize for this gap in response, and ensure you that this situation will be remedied,” the statement read.

A fire alarm also went off inside the high school around 5:15 a.m., but was caused by a faulty sensor and not related to the break in.

UPDATE @ 9:51 a.m. 

A precautionary search is still ongoing at Springboro High School after an individual entered the building around 1:15 a.m., according to Springboro Communications Coordinator  Scott Marshall.

Officials have no reason to believe there is any threat to the building, but wanted to take extreme caution and sweep the entire building.

Marshall said there was no damage to the school and the individual has been identified and is currently part of a police investigation.

We will continue to update this story with additional details as we receive them.

FIRST REPORT:

Springboro High School will be closed today due to an investigation regarding a student reportedly breaking into the building early Thursday morning.

According to the Springboro City Schools Facebook, a high school student, whose name was not released, was seen by a staff member entering the building at approximately 1:15 a.m.

The student was escorted out of the building once, but then proceeded to reenter the building carrying a folder before being escorted out a second time, according to the post.

As a result of the alleged break-in, police have been conducting an extensive search of the high school.

Due to the search, Springboro High School will be closed Thursday, Oct. 25.

Elementary school buses will  be running late this morning due to the incident.

While it is not believed there is any threat to the high school, police are working together to ensure the safety of the building, the students and staff, the post said.

We will continue to update this story as more details become available.