by Tom Chillemi –
The Middlesex High School (MHS) gym was evacuated in minutes following a bomb threat made during a basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 6, said Tracy Seitz, superintendent of Middlesex County Public Schools. Dr. Seitz said the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received a telephone call stating there was a bomb at MHS. The administration was notified immediately and the gym was cleared of occupants within three minutes of receiving the report.
Middlesex was playing multiple teams from Mathews High School and was in the second quarter of the varsity girls game when the gym was cleared. The girls game and the varsity boys game were canceled.
The investigation is ongoing, said MCSO’s Maj. Sampson, who asked that anyone with information call the MCSO Crime Line at 804-758-5600. The Virginia State Police responded to the scene that night and used dogs to search the school, he added.
Seitz noted the school opened the following day. “Fortunately, with the quick action of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Department and the administration of MHS, the building was evacuated quickly and cleared of any threat in a timely manner,” Seitz wrote in an email to parents the evening of the incident.
“We continue to work with the sheriff’s department in the investigation,” stated Seitz’s message. It also asked parents to relay any information they may receive from their children that would help the investigation.
