Mount Healthy police arrest juvenile for fake 911 call that prompted evacuation, school closures

MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — Mount Healthy Junior/Senior High School evacuated all students Wednesday due to a "911 threat," Mount Healthy dispatch said.

Mt. Healthy police announced on Thursday they identified and arrested a juvenile they say made a false 911 call that triggered the evacuation.

Police did not name the child arrested, or mention whether they were a student at the school threatened. The juvenile is being charged with a felony count of inducing panic, Mt. Healthy police said.

Police responded to a 911 threat at Mount Healthy Junior/Senior High School, which is home to both the junior high and high school students. They didn't specify what that threat was, or which school it was made against.

Mount Healthy Police Chief Jerome Deidesheimer said the call came from a cell phone that they believed was in the area of the school.

Police said Wednesday and again on Thursday when they announced the arrest that there'd never been a real threat to the schools.

The district is encouraging all parents whose students ride the bus to remain at home, while buses take their children home.

For parents deciding to pick their children up instead, you're asked to go to Hilltop Plaza, which is across Hamilton Avenue from the junior/senior high school.

"No students will be sent to Hilltop Plaza for parents to pick up until after all buses have been dismissed," the school district said.

Andrew Rowan/WCPO

Jessica Cooper, a Mount Healthy City Schools parent, said this is a "traumatizing" situation.

"You gotta think this is 7th through 12th (grade) not just 9th through 12th, so they are going through a lot of changes anyway so having to process all of these threats is very scary," she said.

This is the second threat made toward Mount Healthy Junior/Senior High School in the 2023-2024 school year. There were no classes on Sept. 27 as officials and police investigated a threat "in the form of a potential shooting."

Earlier Wednesday morning, police investigated a bomb threat at Clark Montessori High School in Hyde Park. The school was not evacuated but placed on a lockout, and CPD Lt. Johnathan Cunningham said no bombs were found on the school's campus.

In March 2023, Mount Healthy Junior/Senior High School had to use a calamity day after a hoax put both the Junior/Senior High School and nearby Mount Healthy Preparatory and Fitness School on lockdown.