From Bell County Sheriff Mitch Williams -
IN REGARD TO AN UNCONFIRMED STATEWIDE THREAT TOWARD SCHOOLS
School districts in Kentucky were notified late on Monday, August 26, 2019 by the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security about a possible threat, which was generic in nature, directed toward schools in the state to occur on Wednesday, August 28, 2019. The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have not confirmed the source or verified the threat.
The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security released this statement:
“We are aware of a Facebook post circulating about a possible incident at a school being planned for the 28th in Kentucky and the 29th in Arkansas. Initially the threat was reported to FBI Little Rock from an individual outside of the US. The threat was read in a gaming chat room that indicated there is going to be an incident at a Kentucky and Arkansas school on the 28th and 29th of this month. The threat DID NOT name a specific location in either state and was very generalized. At this time, the complaint is UNSUBSTANTIATED. If anything further develops from this report, the KIFC will push out additional information as it becomes available. The FBI and KIFC, as well as state and local law enforcement, continue to monitor this situation.”
To be clear once again, this was a generic threat and no school in the Bell, Middlesboro, or Pineville school systems were specifically mentioned in any way.
Out of abundance of caution, the Bell County Sheriff’s Department will be in a state of heightened awareness in regard to any possible threat. Each school in our county has security measures in place as student and staff safety is our, and their, first priority. We will continue to emphasize school safety and security each day. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bell County Dispatch at 606-337-6174 or my office at 606-337-3102.
As always, if you see a questionable situation that leads you to believe there is impending danger call us.
Thank you, Sheriff Mitch Williams