OLYMPIA, Wash. Two high school football games in Thurston County were canceled Friday after authorities investigated threats targeting people planning to attend the games, KOMO reports.
The Tumwater School District called off the Pioneer Bowl matchup between Tumwater and Black Hills high schools out of caution while police searched for a juvenile suspected of posting online threats that referenced the game.
Tumwater police said a school resource officer and a detective investigated the posts, which were linked to a former Tumwater Middle School student who no longer attends school in the area. Officers initially increased their presence at the game while saying the juvenile had not been located.
Police later took the juvenile, a 14-year-old from King County, into custody at the Tumwater Police Department with help from a family member, according to KOMO. The teen was booked into Thurston County Youth Services on suspicion of threats to bomb or injure property, and police said they do not expect additional arrests.
In a separate case, the Rochester and Centralia school districts canceled their football game after a student reported a threat to a Centralia school administrator on Friday. The districts said an investigation determined the threat was credible.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said that threat targeted a specific student at the game, and that the person suspected of making it claimed gang affiliation and had been entered as a runaway. Authorities had not located that person, and the investigation remains ongoing. The districts said they are exploring options to reschedule the game.