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Deputies searching for caller who reported gunmen at school

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Parents at Park Layne Elementary School 12355 Dille Road, talk with a Clark County sheriff's deputy during an investigation into a report, now considered a hoax, that three men were seen entering the school building with rifles.

Bill Lackey Parents at Park Layne Elementary School 12355 Dille Road, talk with a Clark County sheriff's deputy during an investigation into a report, now considered a hoax, that three men were seen entering the school building with rifles.

Updated 5:01 PM Thursday, November 5, 2009

By Elaine Morris Roberts

and Bridgette Outten

Staff Writers

NEW CARLISLE — Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies are searching for a caller whom they believe falsely reported that three armed gunmen entered a local school carrying a duffel bag Thursday, Nov. 5.

Park Layne Elementary and a neighboring school in Medway were placed on lockdown for about two hours as authorities flooded the area to locate the suspects.

“Immediately we made contact with the (Park Layne) office,” Sheriff Gene Kelly said.

Twelve deputies responded to the scene at about 9:45 a.m. and searched the school and surrounding area, where no gunmen or weapons were found, Kelly said.

James Gay, superintendent of Tecumseh Local Schools, said there was concern that someone had entered a side door of the building, but all exterior doors except the main door are locked during the school day.

“No one can enter the building without passing by the office and our building secretary did not see anyone.” Gay said.

During a lock-down situation, teachers lock classroom doors and cover windows.

There was a group of pre-school students outside, so a deputy requested a school bus be brought in to keep them warm and out of harm’s way, Gay said.

Parents were notified by the school’s automated all-call system immediately after deputies determined the students were not in danger.

Principal Greg Baker will make visits to classrooms during the rest of the day to make sure students and teachers are doing fine.

“Everyone’s fine. ...Everything’s back to normal,” Gay said.

During and right after the incident, there was no indication of any student upset or worries.

“Everyone in the school was safe,” Kelly said. “Everything went picture-perfect there.”

During the sweep of the area, authorities did find a man with an open container and an outstanding warrant who was taken in to custody. But that man did not appear to have anything to do with the lockdown situation, Kelly said.

The original call came from a cell phone that was initially triangulated to a Huber Heights tower and lasted more than three minutes.

The caller, a male, calmly described seeing the gunmen enter the school and described a car “with Ohio tags” that the suspects were in.

Kelly said that the detail of the call made him suspicious that the report was a diversionary tactic for another crime.

“We put all authorities in the county on full alert,” Kelly said. “And as far as the lockdown, it really could not have gone more smoothly. Everyone remained calm and did what they were supposed to do.”

The caller could face charges for inducing panic, Kelly said.

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