Shooting Threat Forces Beau Chene Into Lockdown for Third Time in Two Days
*UPDATE*
The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office has clarified that it was a shooting threat, not a bomb threat as originally reported, that forced Beau Chene High School into lockdown for the second day in a row.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the lockdown had been lifted and students returned to class. Original story below.
Original Story
ARNAUDVILLE, La. (KPEL News) - The St. Landry Sheriff's Office is confirming that Beau Chene High School is under lockdown for the third time in two days.
On Monday, one threat forced a lockdown at the school, but while it was being lifted and students were returning to class, a bomb threat was discovered in a bathroom, forcing an evacuation.
Then, prior to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office confirmed that another bomb threat forced the school into another lockdown while they assisted in the investigation.
This is the fifth reported threat at Beau Chene this school year.
Tuesday's Lockdown
Beau Chene High School started the school day in lockdown, but almost as soon as students were released from it, they were forced to evacuate.
According to the St. Landry Sheriff's Office, the school was placed in lockdown this morning after a student alerted the school's administration to a threat they had seen.
The school was briefly back in session for a time, but then a bomb threat was found "freshly written" on the wall of a bathroom. That threat led to students being evacuated from the school.
The St. Landry Sheriff's department is investigating the threats at this time. No new information is currently available.
Not The First Time
This is not the first threat at Beau Chene this school year. In November, the school was placed in lockdown after another threat was discovered on campus. Much like Tuesday's evacuation, this incident also involved a bomb threat written on a bathroom wall, which was discovered by school officials at the time.
In October, a similar situation occurred. This one, also written on a bathroom wall, threatened that there would shooting at the school later that week.
In Louisiana, threats of this nature come with heavy penalties. A charge of terrorizing comes with a sentence of up to 15 years, fines of up to $15,000, or both, according to state law.
There have been several incidents across Acadiana this year, with threats seemingly on the rise while law enforcement simultaneously cracks down on the issue.