Student arrested in Danville school threat that lead to lockdowns

DANVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – A phone call to a business in St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday led to a lockdown at schools throughout Boyle County, Kentucky.

Danville Police say they received a call from an Enterprise Rent-A-Car service center, nearly 350 miles away, in St. Louis.

According to Danville Police, the Enterprise employee told a dispatcher that a man had called their 1-800 telephone number and told them he had a bus full of children outside of a Danville elementary school and was going to start shooting if he did not receive a ransom payment.

Police immediately started calling schools in Boyle County and ordered them to lockdown and secure their buildings.

“Some will call it a lockdown, some will call it a soft lockdown, or even a shelter in place,” said Dr. Keith Look, Superintendent of Danville Independent Schools. “We want to make sure that moment that we know exactly where everybody is. Whether it [is] staff, students, or any other visitors in our building. They are quickly able to take a full attendance.”

While police were locking down and searching school buildings, detectives say they tracked down the reported caller, who turned out to be a 15-year old boy inside Boyle County High School.  Danville Police say the student was charged with terroristic threatening.  His name wasn’t released because of his age.