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Search warrants used in bomb threats case
(by Sali McSherry - December 08, 2011)
Search warrants used in bomb threats case
By SALI McSHERRY
Two search warrants were executed Tuesday at two homes in Orange in connection with bomb threats made to Orange High School, Pepper Pike police said.
One was at West Orange Hill Circle, according to police. The house is owned by Andrea Desberg, according to the Cuyahoga County Auditor's website. The location of the other home was not available.
More than 15 FBI agents, Pepper Pike and Orange police officers surrounded the homes and removed computer hard drives and other items of interest, police said.
Pepper Pike Police Chief John Crivel said he didn't believe there would be arrests made until further investigation was completed.
School resource officer Todd Bennett, who works in Orange schools and is a member of the Pepper Pike Police Department, was instrumental in this case, Mr. Crivel said. "It was done the old-fashioned way, by interviews and on foot," he said. Mr. Bennett knows the kids and cliques and that's what it came down to, Mr. Crivel said. "Without Todd to point the way, all the technology and agents wouldn't have mattered," he said.
It's been more than a week-and-a-half since Orange High School received a bomb threat.
According to Orange Police reports on Tuesday, its forensics expert did some work on digital evidence related to the case.
"When we receive the FBI report, we will certainly publish the information as soon as we have clearance. In the meantime, the high school will gradually transition to less restrictive operating procedures," Superintendent Nancy Wingenbach said.
Security measures, such as a single designated entrance only for students will continue, she said. Students are allowed to carry book bags, backpacks and cellular phones, and can use hall passes during class for such reasons as going to the lavatory.
The district is reviewing some of its security measures, communications coordinator Louis DeVincentis said, and has implemented a requirement in which students are accountable for their location. For instance, during a free period, students who go to the media center must sign in and if they are meeting with a teacher, they must first get a pass from that teacher, he said.
Since the beginning of the school year, guests to the school must provide a driver's license that is then scanned. The photograph from the license is scanned onto the guest pass, Mr. DeVincentis said.
Teachers and other staff members utilize security card readers that unlock doors for entry.
Since the school was closed for three days due to the bomb threats, students and staff must make up those days, a requirement by the state. The school day has been extended 30 minutes through Feb. 1. The impact of the change in dismissal affects some children who ride buses at Moreland Hills Elementary School, because several buses are delayed by 10 to 15 minutes due to the extended day, Mr. DeVincentis said.
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