No evidence found in Corning bomb threat

A possible bomb threat at Corning Elementary and Southwest Valley High School was reported cleared as of Wednesday afternoon by the Adams County Sheriff’s office.

According to a statement from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, around 11:40 a.m. dispatch received a call from Corning Elementary, regarding a reported bomb threat.

“Adams County Dispatch received a call from the Corning Elementary School regarding a bomb threat. An individual had called the Elementary and stated they’d heard of a bomb threat, but they were not sure which building the bomb was in,” read the statement.

The statement goes on to say that no such threat was ever made.

“While speaking with the original caller, it was determined that they’d received a phone call from a family member and were informed of a school lockdown and bomb threat on the radio. Upon further investigation, the school lockdown they were informed of happened at the Shenandoah Schools earlier on this morning.

“There was not a threat made toward Southwest Valley Schools. This information was not learned until the schools were evacuated and dismissed for the day.”

Southwest Valley Schools Superintendent Willie Stone told the News Advertiser in a statement that the school handled the incident effectively, but will continue to plan for any similar scenarios moving forward.

“We have things we are going to work on,” said Stone. “We’re going to debrief with the Adams County Sheriff and emergency medical services people so that we can be better at it next, so we can make sure we are more prepared.”

As far as procedure Wednesday, Stone felt the school handled the situation well.

“After finding out we were all clear, we all felt it was a great test to see where we are at,” said Stone. “It’s not something you ever want to plan for, but you need to have a plan for.”

Stone thanked the support of first responders who set up a perimeter and cleared the scene.

Local law enforcement didn’t locate anything they believed to be a threat.

Both schools went on lockdown after receiving word of the reported threat before students were eventually released early.

All school buildings were reopened by 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, allowing students to retrieve their vehicles and any possessions they may have left behind.

All Villisca schools remained in session and students were not released.