An 11-year-old Milton boy is facing felony bomb scare charges after he fashioned a fake bomb and threatened to detonate it on his school bus, Milton police said Wednesday.
Milton Police Lt. John Conger said he didn't know what motivated the fifth-grader to make the fake bomb. "Apparently he was angry with some of the teachers," Conger said. "Beyond that, we don't know."
The boy, who had not been in trouble with Milton police before Wednesday, spent two hours on the bus after it was evacuated at Northside Intermediate School while police talked him into giving up, Conger said.
The boy is being held at the Rock County Juvenile Detention Center pending an initial appearance Thursday, Conger said.
The school website said Northside would resume classes Thursday. "Thank you to the district staff and local law enforcement for ensuring student safety today," the website said.
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The incident began at about 8:45 a.m. when the bus driver, who said he had heard the student tell others on the bus that he had a bomb, arrived at the school, evacuated the bus and notified school officials.
The Milton Police Department requested the assistance of the Rock County SWAT Team and the Winnebago County (Ill.) Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad.
Conger said the device was in a backpack and looked like a video game with a series of wires and batteries attached to it simulating a bomb, but he said there was no explosive device.
Parents of students at Northside School were notified of the incident via the district's phone messaging system, police said. Classes at Northside Intermediate School was canceled for the remainder of the day.
Copyright (c) 2011, The Wisconsin State Journal/Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
