Students at Mentor High School evacuated for bomb threat

MENTOR, Ohio - Mentor High School was evacuated on Wednesday after receiving a bomb threat, school officials said.

Mentor police said officers responded to the school, located on Center Street, just before 1 p.m. The threat was written on a restroom wall, saying that a bomb would explode at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The message also mentioned a unit principal, police said.

Emergency personnel swept the building and students were allowed to return to class once administrators decided it was safe, said Mentor Public Schools spokeswoman Kristen Kirby.

“The safety of our students is of utmost priority and these matters are taken very seriously,” the school system said in a statement.

A 16-year-old boy admitted to writing the threat and said it was a hoax. Mentor police said he was charged with making false alarms, inducing panic and criminal damaging.