SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Police have arrested a 12-year-old student in connection to a false report of an active shooter, according to the Springfield City Manager.
“This is serious and children need to think about these things before they do them,” Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf said. “People could have been hurt.”
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Just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Springfield police received reports of an active shooter at Catholic Central High School and within two minutes more than a dozen officers were on the scene.
Ohio State Highway Patrol, Springfield police and Clark County Sheriff’s Office all arrived to assist as Springfield fire was on standby, police said.
Once crews made their way through the building, the indicators for an active shooter just weren’t there, Graf said.
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Police continued with protocol and checked the entire building, Graf said.
Once it was discovered to be a hoax, police began looking into where the call came from and found that it came from a landline inside of the building, Graf said.
Eventually, the female student admitted to police that she was the one to make the call, Graf said.
“Quite frankly, the evidence trail the detectives followed strongly indicated that already,” Graf stated.
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On Thursday, Oct. 27, she was arrested on a charge of inducing panic and placed in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, the city manager said.
“We have to understand the import of this type of crime,” Graf said, “This type of a hoax. Parents flocked to the school obviously upset, disturbed, demanding to see their children.”
With officers tied up over a prank call, it leaves no room for people with real emergencies to get the help they need.
“These are not funny,” Graf said. “These have serious consequences.”