Emailed Bomb Threat Puts Foley High School on Alert, Investigation Underway

An emailed bomb threat directed at Foley High School staff set off a tense evening for parents and school officials this week, prompting a full search of the campus by police and fire crews before investigators determined there was no actual danger.

Foley police say the threatening email arrived Tuesday night and appeared, on its face, to have come from a current Foley High School student. Officers questioned that student as part of the investigation, but a police lieutenant said further review determined the message had actually originated from someone else entirely, not the student initially identified in the email.

As a precautionary measure, Foley Police, Foley Fire Department personnel and school administrators conducted a room-by-room search of Foley High School. Officials said nothing concerning was found anywhere on campus, and the threat did not disrupt the normal operation of the school the following day.

Word of the threat spread quickly among families after Foley High Principal Shane Tucker sent an alert through the Baldwin County Public Schools’ rapid notification system at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The recorded message informed parents that a threat had been emailed to school staff and explained that the Foley Police Department, Foley Fire Department and school administration were actively searching every room in the building as a safety measure.

Tucker’s message reassured families that classes would proceed as scheduled the next day and asked anyone with information related to the threat to contact either a school administrator or the Foley Police Department directly.

Investigators have not released the identity of the person believed responsible for sending the email, and police said Wednesday that no additional details would be shared publicly while the case remains open. The Foley Police Department is continuing to investigate exactly how the email was generated and traced away from the student who was first questioned.

What the law says

Under Alabama law (Code of Alabama Section 13A-10-15), a person commits the crime of making a terrorist threat by threatening a crime of violence or property damage and intentionally or recklessly causing the disruption of school activities, the evacuation of a building or other serious public inconvenience. The offense is a Class C felony.